Montepaschi Siena trumped Asseco Prokom 84-73

Montepaschi improved to 4-1 in Group D and took another step forwards to advance to the Top 16 by downing Asseco Prokom Gdynia 84-73 in Siena, Italy on Thursday. Rimantas Kaukenas led the winners with 15 points - all in the second half. Bo McCalebb added 14, David Moss had 11 while David Andersen got 10 for Montepaschi. Donatas Motiejunas led Prokom with 26 points and 9 rebounds. Oliver Lafayette added 19 points while Przemyslaw Zamojski had 11 - all in the fourth quarter - for Prokom, that dropped to 0-5. Ksistof Lavrinovic and McCalebb allowed Montepaschi to get a 16-15 edge after 10 minutes. Prokom kept powering the offensive boards and three-pointers by Przemyslaw Frasunkiewicz and Lafayette allowed the guests to get a 18-23 edge. Montepaschi found a go-to guy in Pietro Aradori, who singlehandedly gave his team a 32-31 edge at the break. Kaukenas took over after the break and made Montepaschi boost its margin to 65-51 after 30 minutes. Zamojski and Motiejunas managed to bring Prokom as close as 78-71 in the next-to-last minute but Moss and Lavrinovic allowed Montepaschi to seal the outcome down the stretch.

Piotr Szczkota got Prokom going with a driving layup that McCalebb improved with an eight-meter bomb. Motiejunas quickly answered from downtown to give the guests a 3-5 lead. McCalebb kept pacing Montepaschi with a layup that Lukasz Seweryn matched with a fast break basket. Andersen stepped up with a put-back layup but Jerel Blassingame and Motiejunas struck from downtown for a 7-13 Prokom edge. Shaun Stonerook joined the three-point shootout and McCalebb split free throws, as Montepaschi finally adjusted its man-to-man defense. Lavrinovic came off the bench and immediately sank a three-pointer to put the hosts back ahead, 14-13. Lavrinovic capped an 8-0 Montepaschi run with a foul shot, as a jump hook by Adam Hrycaniuk tied the game, 15-15. A free throw by Andersen fixed the score at 16-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Montepaschi tried a new backcourt at the start of the second quarter, bringing Nikos Zisis and Igor Rakocevic off the bench. Andersen made free throws but back-to-back three-pointers by Frasunkiewicz and Lafayette put Prokom back ahead, 18-21. Montepaschi called timeout and started to play more aggressive but free throws by Hrycaniuk made it a five-point game, 18-23. Tomas Ress sank a triple and a five-meter jumper by Rakocevic tied it at 23-23. Prokom kept powering the offensive board and Lafayette finished a two-chance offense with a bomb from downtown. Lavrinovic scored down low but Motiejunas kept Prokom ahead, 25-29. Aradori hit free throws and buried a triple in transition to restore a 30-29 Montepaschi lead, forcing the guests to call timeout. Szczkota shined with a jump hook but a turnaround jumper by a red hoy Aradori fixed the halftime score at 32-31.

Stonerook buried a long jumper right after the break and McCalebb added free throws for a 36-31 Montepaschi margin. The hosts stayed very aggressive in defense and a backdoor layup by McCalebb made it a seven-point game, 38-31. Kaukenas, who had been scoreless until that moment, followed a three-pointer with a fast break layup for a double-digit Montepaschi lead, 43-31, after an 11-0 run. Motiejunas banked in a jump hook but McCalebb bettered it with a layup-plus-foul and a dunk by Kaukenas set the crowd on fire, 48-33. Lafayette sank his third triple and Szczkota scored down low but Kaukenas soon restored a 51-38 Montepaschi lead. Motiejunas stayed on fire with a close basket but free throws by David Moss and a jumper by Andersen gave the hosts a 58-43 margin. Kaukenas, Motiejunas - twice-, Lafayette and Andersen struck from downtown but a layup by Zisis gave Montepaschi a 65-51 lead after 30 minutes.

Moss fired in one from downtown early in the fourth quarter, as Momntepaschi tried to slow down the game tempo. Zamojski buried a three-pointer from the left wing but a jumper by Zisis kept the hosts way ahead, 70-54. Moss scored around the basket and a stop-and-pop jumper by Zisis seemed to seal the outcome, 74-54, with over 6 minutes to go. Motiejunas kept trying to change things with a jump hook, however, and Zamojski added a wide open corner triple to get Prokom a bit closer, 74-59. Zamojski sank his shot bomb from downtown and a dunk by Lafayette forced Montepaschi to call timeout, 76-64, with 4 minutes to go. Blassingame scored down low and a fast break layup by Zamojski forced the hosts to stop the game again, 76-68. Moss nailed a four-meter jumper that Motiejunas bettered with a three-pointer. Lavrinovic answered from downtown, allowing all Montepaschi fans to celebrate a hard-fought, well-deserved win.