By Alex Molina / amolina@eurohoops.net
Crvena zvezda Meridianbet defeated EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 91–85 on Friday in the opening semifinal of the Crete International Basketball Tournament, securing a hard-fought victory in an entertaining preseason clash.
Moses Wright led Red Star’s offensive effort with 22 points, while Jordan Nwora finished with a team-high 23 points. The Serbian side showed resilience after trailing at halftime and entering the fourth quarter behind Milan.
Red Star started strongly, taking a 17–15 lead after the opening quarter. Milan responded in the second quarter, however, turning the game around and taking a 43–39 advantage into halftime.
Milan continued to control the game after halftime. At the end of the third quarter, Olimpia led 67–61, putting Red Star under pressure heading into the decisive final period.
But the Serbian champions responded when it mattered most, producing a strong fourth-quarter performance to overturn Milan’s advantage and finish the game with a 91–85 victory.
The tournament continued later today with the second semifinal between Olympiacos and Fenerbahçe, which ended with a victory for the Greek team by 82-77 in a closely contested semifinal.
Fenerbahce went into halftime with a narrow 37-34 lead after a balanced opening 20 minutes, but Olympiacos stepped up their game after the break. The Greek side took control in the second half, outplaying their opponents and eventually securing a five-point victory.
Evan Fournier led the way for Olympiacos, finishing as both his team’s and the game’s top scorer with 19 points. Donta Hall also made a significant contribution, adding 16 points and eight rebounds as Olympiacos completed the comeback.
For Fenerbahce, Wade Baldwin was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points.
With the victory, Olympiacos advance to the Crete Tournament final, where they will face Crvena Zvezda for the title, while Fenerbahce and Olimpia Milano will fight for the third place.
Esenler Erokspor defeats Anadolu Efes, Turk Telekom overcomes Dubai
Esenler Erokspor secured a narrow 77–75 victory over Anadolu Efes in an entertaining matchup at the TÜBAD Mehmet Baturalp Tournament, handing Efes a two-point defeat in the preseason competition.
Bruno Fernando delivered one of the standout performances for Anadolu Efes, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while also recording one assist. Dario Šarić added 11 points, five rebounds and one assist, while Daron Russell also scored 11 points and made a significant contribution as a playmaker with six assists and three rebounds. Matthew Strazel completed an all-around performance with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Santiago Yusta contributed eight points, five rebounds and two assists.
Elsewhere, Turk Telekom defeated Dubai BC with a final score of 72 – 67. Despite being up by eight points by the end of third quarter, the Euroleague team couldn’t control the game and ended up suffering the first defeat of the preseason.
A win for Paris Basketball, ASVEL loses its game
The day also featured two games from the French teams from Euroleague. Paris Basketball comfortably defeated Hestia Menorca (from Spain’s second division) 95-62, while ASVEL lost against Élan Pau-Lacq-Orthez 83-73.
Photo credit: Olimpia Milano
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