By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After a shaky start of the season, Real Madrid needed a big win and got exactly that against Crvena Zvezda Telekom. The defending champions exploded against the Serbs on the way to a 98-71 triumph.
The Spaniards were hot from the get go, having a 22-6 first quarter and an amazing 56-20 half time lead. They didn’t stop in the third period, getting a double score (82-41) and only in the last 10 minutes they relaxed. Coach Pablo Lasso used 11 of his players and every one scored, but the point was the suffocating defense that completely shut down the guests.
Zvezda started the last quarter with a 17-5 run (87-58), but the Serbs needed much more than that. Jaycee Carroll scored 19 points and had 6 rebounds for the winners, Gustavo Ayon had 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Sergio Rodriguez dished 11 assists and had just one turnover. Maik Zirbes for one more game was the top scorer of Crvena Zvezda with 15 points.