By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Cody Miller-McIntyre is having a dreamy season, notching great performances as a EuroLeague rookie, and he put another one on his belt against ALBA Berlin.
Baskonia defeated the German side at Fernando Buesa Arena 88-71, and the American guard recorded his sixth double-double of the season.
Miller-McIntyre finished the game with 14 points and 10 assists, missing just once from the field for a game-high PIR of 25.
“I’m happy we won; that’s the most important thing. However, we made a lot of mistakes on defense, including numerous turnovers, including my own. We need to clean up these issues to make a playoff run by the end of the season,” Miller-McIntyre said, talking about the game. He was critical about the team’s effort in the second quarter when ALBA got back from a 32-14 deficit. Still, Baskonia reacted after the halftime break, and in the end, they won comfortably.
Chima Moneke led the scoring for the Vitoria team with 16 points, while Vanja Marinkovic added 15, including the two three-pointers in the final minutes that put the game to bed. Matt Costello also did a good job, being on the verge of a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.
As for ALBA, Khalifa Koumadje and Matt Thomas scored 12 points each, while talented Elias Rapić used his space in the final quarter the best way possible, scoring 11 points in five minutes and 20 seconds on the court. Yanni Wetzel added 10 points, while Martin Hermannsson dished eight assists.
“It’s important to believe and to fight.”
Before the match, the head coach of Baskonia, Dusko Ivanovic, emphasized the importance of three consecutive home games, and his players got the job done in the first one.
“In some moments, we really played well with concentration, but the most important thing is victory. Some players will recuperate a bit, and we need them to be much better for the next games. It’s important to believe and to fight. That’s what we have to do,” Ivanovic said.
ALBA Berlin’s coach, Israel Gonzalez, was pleased with the team’s effort despite the fact that the German side suffered a fifth consecutive defeat and 23rd overall in the EuroLeague this season.
“We did well, with a good effort, came back two or three times in the game, and this is what we can ask from a team – to fight and come back every time we can,” Gonzalez said.
In Round 29 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Baskonia will host Olimpia Milano (14/03), while ALBA Berlin will face Monaco at home (14/03).