By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
The first quarter of Monaco against MHP Riesen in the first Basketball Champions League semifinal was pretty much the stuff of nightmares for the Monegasques.
Although Monaco controlled the offensive boards and made less turnovers than their opponents, they trailed 20 – 11 before reacting in the second period (18 – 25). The proceeded on assuming control in the third (16 – 25) and ultimately routing the German team to advance in the Final.
“Maybe we were a little bit nervous. We missed some free-throws, some open three-pointers. At the end we started playing our game. I think we have a deeper roster than them and we showed our quality,” Monaco center Elmedin Kikanovic told Eurohoops.
The Bosnian center bigfinished the semifinal with a game-high 19 points on perfect shooting from the field (6/6 two-pointers, 1/1 3-pointers) and also grabbed seven rebounds. It’s performances like this one that helped Monaco arrive to the Final Four with a tremendous 16 – 2 record.
While they were already considered the favorites to win the trophy by many prior to the tournament, the Kikanovic believes that this doesn’t add any pressure to him and his teammates.
“We don’t have pressure. It’s the Final Four. Anything can happen.”