Last EuroLeague home game attracts sold-out crowd 6
Zalgiris Kaunas collected a sold-out crowd on Friday, but the last EuroLeague home game was lost to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, which edged the greens 84:88 to snap its seven-game losing run and end a streak of 13 consecutive road losses. Milan improved to 8-21, while Zalgiris dropped to 13-16 with one game to go in the regular season.
Zalgiris built an 11-point lead in the first quarter, but the visitors rallied in the second quarter. Neither team had an advantage bigger than 7 points the rest of the way, but Milan made plays – and enough free throws – down the stretch to get the victory.
Jamel McLean and Andrea Cinciarini scored 17 points apiece in victory. Ricky Hickman netted 16 on 4-of-5 three-point shooting and Awudu Abass had 13 points for Milan.
The hosts had five scorers in double-digits led by Kevin Pangos with 16. Lukas Lekavicius tallied 15 points and 7 assists, Paulius Jankunas collected 12 points and 8 rebounds, Brock Motum scored 11 and Arturas Milaknis 10 in defeat.
Zalgiris had a great start behind the guard duo of Pangos and Leo Westermann. Pangos scored 8 points, including two triples, and Westermann dished assists to Robertas Javtokas and Jankunas for easy buckets, as the hosts opened an 18:9 lead. A triple by Motum extended the margin to 24:13, but after Zalgiris led 27:18 after 10 minutes, three-pointers from Davide Pascolo and Abass, with the help of Cinciarini, who took the reigns of Milan’s offense, the visitors made a charge.
Miroslav Raduljica fought his way inside and Pascolo hit his second shot from downtown to give Milan its first lead, 34:35. Westermann and Lekavicius made sure Zalgiris went into halftime up 41:39, and after the break Jankunas, Javtokas, Pangos and Arturas Milaknis made it 50:43. But Hickman got hot, hitting a pair of three-pointers to help Milan regain the lead, 56:58. Hickman’s third triple at the end of the quarter tied it at 63:63, and his fourth early in the fourth gave the visitor a 65:68 lead.
The teams continued trading leads before Cinciarini hit a three-pointer with 55 seconds left to give Milan a 77:81 edge. The hosts repeatedly sent Milan to the free throw line in the remaining time, but Milan made enough foul shots to hold on to victory.
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