Euroleague: Milan beats Monaco, Ettore Messina satisfied with final sprint

Euroleague: Milan beats Monaco, Ettore Messina satisfied for final sprint

At the Assago Forum, EA7 Emporio Armani Milano beat Monaco 86-80 in the game of the 27th day of the Euroleague. Olimpia started badly, with a 0-7 partial, then è under 2-10 and 4-13 but tied with a 10-1 counter-partial and at the end of the first quarter è behind by only one point, 18-19.

In the second quarter there’è balance until 38-35 for Monaco, here Milan reverses the situation with a 9-0 partial and at the long interval the lead è of +7, 49-42. Ettore Messina’s team in the third quarter è in control, gets to +10 and when the last ten minutes begin è ahead 68-61. The guests però nibbled point by point until parity; on 70.

It goes on point to point until’80-80, when six free throws scored by Olimpia, 2 by Shavon Shields, 2 by Zach Leday and 2 by Nikola Mirotic, that together with a lost ball and two missed threes by Monaco seal the final score. For MIlano, Mirotic’s points were 22, Shields’ 19 and LeDay’s 10, for Monaco 16 by Elie Okobo. These are Messina’s statements at the end of the game to Euroleague TV.

«Did we move the ball well? We have to be honest and remember that in the one moment, for three to four minutes, when we stopped doing that, we let them back in. We have to be smarter, è it's difficult under pressure. But we have great players and people, they will always do better and do it for 40 minutes instead of 37/38. But today è it was another great effort in another great Euroleague game.

“They know how to do it, they have to keep doing it especially in difficult moments. When we have flow and in good moments we are a good team, even to look at. When the opponents also run we have to stay calm and play our basketball. In clutch time we kept attacking, earning fouls and getting to the iron. We have to keep doing that”.