By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Kosner Baskonia loves playing in Vitoria.
And as usual, the Spanish team got the win in Fernando Buesa Arena after defeating AS Monaco.
Paolo Galbiati’s team withstood the visitors’ comeback attempts and secured a final 85–73 victory, improving their record to 6–10 and keeping their play-in hopes alive.
Spanoulis’ side, on the other hand, drop to 9–7, far from the top of the standings.
As has often been the case, Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot was Baskonia’s top scorer with 19 points, but it was Trent Forrest who stood out the most for the home team, finishing with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Mike James’ 21 points were not enough for the visitors, who were constantly chasing the Basque side.
Apart from a few slight visiting leads in the first quarter, Baskonia dominated the game throughout.
By the second quarter, the lead had already reached ten points (38–28), and the positive feeling was noticeable in the arena.
After the break, the advantage grew even further (54–38), although Monaco were determined to fight back.
A strong visiting run cut the gap to 76–71 in the final minutes, but Baskonia calmly closed out the game to claim a much-needed victory in front of their home crowd.