Olimpia Throws It All Away in the Closing Minutes; Poeta Chides His Players

Olimpia Milano suffers its second EuroLeague loss: Poeta’s team falls to Baskonia on the road, 87-76, with some regrets. After a rough start (the Basques jumped out to a +13 lead), Olimpia managed to rally and take the lead in the fourth quarter, before a sharp late collapse sealed the Milanese team’s fate. Milan’s top scorer, Wright (17 points), wasn’t enough.

After the game, Coach Poeta didn’t hide his disappointment with his team’s inconsistency: “Our approach was terrible. Then we got back into the game, took the lead, but we didn’t finish the job. It’s true that we’re a new team, but we can’t have these ups and downs. Especially if we want to win on the road.”

“We made two defensive mistakes down the stretch, and they regained momentum, heading into the final moments with confidence. We need to find better chemistry and raise our level of play. It’s very clear. We started by winning the Super Cup, but we have too many slumps, which don’t help us—especially on the road.”

The entry of Baskonia’s new signing, Marcio Santos, was important: “He brought a lot of energy to the team; Galbiati did a good job keeping him on the court longer than expected,” according to realolimpiamilano.