Messina: My players defended like crazy for 40 minutes

Olimpia used another defensive gem to take the win in Vitoria, a 78-64 commanding win, leading basically for the length of the game by as many as 15 points at one juncture in the fourth quarter. Olimpia moved the ball, generated 17 assists (six by Sergio Rodriguez), attacked the rims, and made 12 threes. Malcolm Delaney led the scorers with 13 points, Devon Hall made four threes, three of them in the first half, Nicolò Melli overcame foul troubles with his presence at both ends of the floor and Chacho Rodriguez read the defense well enough to start the game with four straight assists, making Baskonia pay for its choice. Baskonia tried different paths to take control of the game, including using a lot of small line-ups with two points guards and more shooters, but Olimpia’s defense had the right answers every time. “I think my players had a very good defensive game – Coach Ettore Messina said -. They defended like crazy for 40 minutes and rebounded pretty well. On offense, I think we shared the ball enough to win. It was not a good shooting night for us but we kept moving the ball and made some important shots down the stretch, when it was very important.” Shavon Shields struggled from the floot for the first half, but took over in spurts in the second and he also grabbed 10 rebounds, many of them in traffic. His work was instrumental in getting the second win of the season.