Vitali's late heroics lift Brescia past Monaco
Germani Brescia Leonessa registered its first-ever 7DAYS EuroCup road win by topping AS Monaco 80-86 on the road in Group A on Wednesday. Brescia improved to 2-4 in the standings, while Monaco dropped to 4-2. Bryon Allen led the winners with 22 points, Luca Vitali added 17, Awudu Abass had 13 and Jordan Hamilton 11 for Brescia. Yakuba Ouattara led Monaco with 19 points, Jarrod Jones added 17, Lazeric Jones 13 and Elmedin Kikanovic 11.
Early three-pointers by Ouattara and Lazeric Jones lifted Monaco to a 12-7 lead. Free throws by Ian Hummer ignited a 9-0 run that Kikanovic capped with a jump hook for a 21-9 Monaco margin. Allen and David Moss stepped up to bring Brescia closer, 26-19, after 10 minutes. Jarrod Jones took over early in the second quarter, Georgi Joseph downed a jumper and more foul shots by Hummer restored a double-digit Monaco lead, 34-24. Abass, Marco Ceron and Vitali each struck from downtown to get the visitors within 38-35. Kikanovic scored again and three-pointers by Lazeric Jones and Paul Lacombe restored a 50-39 Monaco margin at halftime. Hamilton and Allen tried to change things for Brescia after the break, prompting Monaco to call timeout at 52-46. A close basket by Hamilton and a step-back jumper by Abass made it a 2-point game. Ouattara and Jarrod Jones each fired one in from beyond the arc to give Monaco fresh air at 66-60 after 30 minutes. Lazeric Jones and Jarrod Jones helped the hosts gain a 72-62 margin early in the fourth quarter. Hamilton and an outstanding Vitali fought back and a three-pointer by Allen tied the game at 75-75. A free throw by Vitali completed the visitors' comeback. Vitali and Jarrod Jones traded triples and a layup by Allen gave Brescia a 78-81 edge. Gerald Beverly dunked and free throws by Allen and Vitali sealed Brescia's come-from-behind win.
Pivotal performer
Vitali had 11 of his 17 points in the final seven minutes and found Beverly for a big dunk that allowed Brescia to take full control of the game, 78-83, with a couple of minutes remaining,
Game-changing moment
A three-pointer by Ouattara gave Monaco a 75-67 margin with over six minutes left. Vitali had other ideas in mind, scoring 9 points in a 0-12 run - including two shots from downtown - to make sure Brescia took the lead, 75-79, for good.
Stellar stat
Brescia shot with great effectiveness (57.9% 2FG, 45.8% 3FG) and took excellent care of the ball, dishing 22 points and committing just 12 turnovers.
Did you notice?
Both Allen and Vitali had EuroCup career-high efforts in scoring with 22 and 17 points respectively. Vitali almost doubled his, which had been 9 points against Monaco earlier this season.
Next game:
Both teams return to 7DAYS EuroCup action on Wednesday, November 14 - Monaco visits Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at 19:00 CET and Brescia hosts Morabanc Andorra at 20:30 CET.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Eurocupbasketball.com