By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Billy Baron hit the winning 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining as Olimpia Milano left Munich with an 83 – 81 victory over a shorthanded Bayern team after coming back from down 14 points in the first half.
“We got some stops there at the end and then the ball went down a couple of times for us,” Baron said immediately after the game. “They got out to a nice little run there but we stuck with it. We have done it before this season, we fell behind and came from behind. It was a great win for us. Bayern is a very well-coached team, it is a very tough place to play so anytime you get a win here, it’s great. “It’s a tough place to play. Anytime you can get a win here it’s great.”
Baron’s bucket for the 82 – 81 wouldn’t have been enough if Milano didn’t dodge a bullet on the other end. Nick Weiler-Babb, an 83.5 percent career shooter from free throws, was fouled but missed both of his shots. Baron made 1-2 from the line and Paul Zipser misfired from afar as the final buzzer sounded in Audi Dome. Milano completed the double-game week with two out of two while Bayern remains winless in the competition.
Nicolo Melli had 17 points and six rebounds for Milano which saw leading scorer Shavon Shields exiting the game with an apparent foot injury late in the first period. Bayern veteran center Othello Hunter also had to be sidelined in the second period with a hamstring issue and while his team was up 34 – 24. It was another problem for the German side that was already missing Isaac Bonga, Elias Harris, and Zan Sisko,
“We showed character also tonight, and this is very important,” Melli said. His own team was also without Naz Mitrou-Long and Gigi Datome. “We are at the beginning of the season and have to improve in many aspects but having character is something that you have or you don’t have, and we have it. Now we have to build on it. The road is very, very long but it was a very important win against a very good team, a very well-coached team. It is the first double week of the EuroLeague and we were able to win both games on the road. This is a huge achievement but as I said, we are at the beginning of the season.”
Cassius Winston had 20 points and five rebounds in his best EuroLeague game. He scored a tough jumper before Baron’s decisive triple. Paul Zipser added 13 points and Andreas Obst scored 12 for the hosts.
Brandon Davies scored 14 and Kevin Pangos posted 13 points plus 11 assists for Milano. Their team trailed 40 – 26 halfway through the second period but managed to cut that deficit to 43 – 37 at halftime. Bayern retained the advantage for a bit but a 0 – 7 run gave Milano their first lead in the game, 53 – 57, after the first seconds. The match remained closed until the finale.
“It is a tough loss to comment on because I believe my players were really amazing considering the circumstances, with so many players out plus the injury of Othello [Hunter] in the second quarter,” Bayern coach Andrea Trinchieri said. “We shot free throws to win the game. I believe that was a great game and we can analyze many little mistakes or big mistakes, but I believe that we gave it all, and I am sorry for my players. All the rest is not so important. I am sorry because I believe we should be rewarded with a different result.”
An important result amid problems.
Milano coach Ettore Messina pointed out how either team could’ve grabbed the win while having to adjust after seeing key players leaving the floor.
“Of course, it is a very good win,” Messina said. “Both teams had injuries, missing players. They lost Othello [Hunter] during the game and I wish him the best. We lost Shields. I think we adjusted a little bit our one-on-one defense to change the flow of the game because we gave up too many individual situations, and they were very good at spacing the floor, playing with many shooters on the court at the same time. Of course, we hit a big shot with Billy [Baron] but at the same time, we were lucky because Weiler-Babb, who is a great player, missed 2 free throws. It happens, even great players sometimes miss free throws. It could have gone both ways. We escaped with a win. I just want to congratulate my team because it was very difficult to win here against a team that is playing well-organized and very hard. And I just want to mention Nik Melli. He really took us on his shoulders and really carried us to have an opportunity to win this game.”