By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Sergio Rodriguez checked himself with a milestone and paced Olimpia Milano to an 81-78 victory against Alba Berlin on the road with an all-around performance of 17 points, four rebounds and four assists, as the Italian squad moved up to a 4-1 record in the EuroLeague.
What a significant win this is for the Spanish star, as he reached the 2,500 points mark in the competition and is currently at the 12th position of the all-time scorers, leaving behind Dimitris Diamantidis and Mike Batiste.
Following Rodriguez’s lead, Luis Scola also contributed 14 points (six rebounds, three assists) to the winning squad and was a key player as the Italian side made its comeback to the game.
“We were able to get momentum and win the game. It is fun. I like to play basketball, I like the EuroLeague, I am happy about the challenge I have in front of me and I am excited. I am enjoying it”, he said after the game.
Despite scoring only 9 points in the second quarter, Milano‘s reaction after the halftime break was fast and soon they managed to grab the lead of the game and pace their hosts 53-50 by the end of the third quarter.
Alba suffered another loss (1-4), though had Peyton Siva and Rokas Giedraitis scoring in game-highs, with 20 and 18 points each. Now the German side faces Real Madrid on Thursday with hopes to recover.
“When you escape with a win you have to be happy”
“I think my players relaxed in the second half and played according to their level. They are very good players, they just needed to find a little more confidence, see the ball go through the net a couple of times. They played a great second half, they deserved this game against a very good ALBA team. When you win, everything looks good. When you lose, it does not. All these games could have gone either way and that is the way the EuroLeague is very close games”, commented Ettore Messina after the end of the game.
Photo credit: EuroLeague