By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Reggio Emilia and Rimantas Kaukenas with 27 points did the best they could, but in the end EA7 Milano got the 87-80 win and started the Legabasket finals by defending with success their home court.
Thanks to a 17-0 run at the start of the second quarter, Milano got a 37-21 lead and never lost it. Reggio Emilia tried to stayed alive, cut the lead to six points (55-49, 81-75) twice and even to five (83-78) in the last minute. However, they didn’t have the time to complete their come back, or the shooting efficiency.
Alessandro Gentile with 15 points was the top scorer of the winners, Milan Macvan added 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Rakim Sanders and Jamel McLean added 13 crucial points each. At the end that made all the difference, the fact that for most of the game Kaukenas was fighting alone, while Milano had many more players ready to take the team in their hands. And that was even more evident in the front line with Milano having 38 rebounds against 23 of Reggio Emilia.