In a memorable shootout, Olimpia prevailed in Moscow over Khmki 102-93 for its third road win of the EuroLeague season. Olimpia led from wire to wire, and responded every time that Khimki attempted to come back. Late in the second quarter, when Khimki cut the lead from 12 to one, Olimpia made three straight threes and had a 9-0 run. In the fourth quarter, two consecutive threes, made by Jordan Mickey, reduced another 11-point margin to five. And still Olimpia managed to keep its poise and respond, even when Malcolm Delaney after a huge drive scored a crucial at-the-rim basket was assessed with a flagrant foul that cost him the ejection. Olimpia played with no point-guards the last minute of the game, since Sergio Rodriguez was out with an injury.
“In a game with great shooting, our defensive fourth quarter was decisive – Coach Ettore Messina said at the end -, the most important stat was our 28 assists. My players had a complete game. It was important to win against a Khimki team finally able to use its full roster.” Shavon Shields had a game for the ages, scoring 26 points, going 10-for-11 from the field. He made all his shots before missing a corner jumper at the end. It was his new career-high. Shields was definitely not alone in his effort. Zach LeDay scored 18 points, 8-for-11 from the field including eight consecutive points in his impressive third quarter. Kevin Punter was the team closer, his four-point play proved to be crucial in pushing Khimki’s rally back. He also finished the game with a fantastic, very long three. Malcolm Delaney added 16 points and seven assists. Vlado Micov and Kyle Hines also had five assists while Kaleb Tarczewski hit the ground running, scoring eight points with no misses in the first period that set the tone.
“It’s a big win. It’s great to get a win on the road to make up for the game we lost last week at home. We made plays down the stretch to win the game. It’s a big win,” Shavon Shields pointed out.
“We played together as a team tonight. We knew that they were going to make runs because they’re at home. But we came together and got stops at the right time and shared the ball. It was good for us. We know they have a very talented group of guys so we had to come down and get stops,” Zach LeDay added.
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