Anadolu Efes – Armani Milano 77-83: Turned from -15 and a home-court hug

For one half, Anadolu Efes was the absolute boss in the Sinan Erdem Dome. He was +15 against Armani Milano and seemed poised for an impressive win. However, the break drastically changed the situation as the visitors returned undetected from the dressing rooms and caused an impressive upset.

Led by Sergio Rodrκεguez, the Italian team quickly paced the game, leading to the final of the third period and eventually claiming perhaps their biggest win of the year (83-77). The ones that bring her a hug with home advantage now.

The race

Anantolou Efes showed very quickly that he wants victory more than anything. The intensity of the game and the consistency of the outside shot made the difference while Vassilie Mitsic exposed Armani Milano’s defense to successive lineups. Somehow the hosts were at +9 (22-13 in 7′), a lead they maintained until the final of the first period where they had 7/9 in threes. Ettore Messina was constantly trying things, but essentially he couldn’t change the pace of the game. The Reds didn’t get any closer than -4 (33-29 in 14′) as the Turkish response was immediate. This time with announcer Adrien Moerman scoring in a row and contributing as much as anyone to the +15 (51-36) ‘build up’ at halftime where Sergio Rodriguez and Malcolm Delaney had 3 points with 1/5 shots.

A game that seemed to be in the hands of Anantolou Efes for twenty minutes came to a head within a period of time. Now it was Armani Milano who played hard and took things from the periphery, especially from Sergio Rodriguez. “Tsatso” took a step forward and, along with Gigi Datome, put the visitors in a position to take the lead (61-62) at the end of the third period.

Given the situation, the pressure had shifted to the home side. Vassilie Mitsic kept taking initiatives to save the situation, but the others weren’t that effective up front. Something that was reflected in the fact that the Italian lead hit +5 (70-75) in 37 minutes after a layup by Gigi Datome.

The load on the hosts’ shoulders was enormous, which was reflected in the end of their shots. No one was able to pull off a big three that would provide the momentum needed, especially as Armani Milano slowed down and led the final to great possession. Ettore Messina’s players held the upper hand until the final, claiming their second win over the European champions, who may have been more disappointed than ever this season.

THE REFEREES: Pereth-Radovic-Jovcic.

THE TEN MINUTES: 30-21, 51-36, 61-62, 77-83.

ΑΝΑΝΤΟΛΟΥ ΕΦΕΣ (Ataman): Larkin 10 (2/4 three points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 errors), Boboua 4 (1/5 shot), Bryant 4, Gazi, Moerman 16 (2/5 two points, 3/6 three ). Points, 3/4 shots, 9 rebounds), plays 4 (1), Mitsic 27 (6/7 two points, 3/9 three points, 6/7 shots, 5 assists), Anderson 5, Dunston 9 (1), Simon.

ARMANI MILAN (Messina): Meli 10 (4/8 two points, 2/2 shots, 6 rebounds), Grant, Rodriguez 12 (3/6 three points, 8 assists), Tarzuski 4, Ritchie 3 (1), Hall 13 (5th /8 two points, 1/3 three points, 0/1 shots), Delaney 3 (1/5 shots, 5 assists), Shields 12 (5 assists), Hines 9 (4/4 two points, 1/2 shots, 4 rebounds), Bentley 3 (1), Datome 14 (4/5 two points, 2/9 three points, 4 rebounds).

Group Stats – Anantolou Efes: 13/26 two points, 11/25 three points, 18/27 shots, 31 rebounds (26 defense + 5 offense), 13 assists, 2 steals, 11 errors, 2 blocks.

Group Stats – Armani Milano: 24/40 two points, 9/26 three points, 8/12 shots, 33 rebounds (26 defensive + 7 offensive), 22 assists, 3 steals, 5 errors, 3 blocks.

The next commitments of the two teams: Anadolu Efes still has the games with Alba (home), Bayern Munich (home) and Red Star (away) until the final of the regular season, while Armani Milano concludes the regular season of EuroLeague with the games against Bayern Munich (indoor) , Monaco (inside) and Villeurbanne (outside).