EA7 Milan pulls past Neptunas to keep share of Group J lead

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan took charge in the fourth quarter to defeat Neptunas Klaipeda 79-71 on Tuesday in the fashion capital. Neptunas led by 1 entering the final stanza, but Jamel McLean led Milan on a 12-2 run to take control and Krunoslav Simon made it stand up as the home team rolled to victory. The result gave Milan a 2-1 record in Group J and a share of first place alongside ALBA Berlin at the midway point of the Last 32. Neptunas fell to 1-2. McLean finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals and Simon tallied 15 points and 5 assists for the winners. Milan Macvan added 13 points and Oliver Lafayette and Bruno Cerella netted 11 apiece. Jerai Grant collected 15 points and 12 rebounds for Neptunas, Donatas Zavackas and Daniel Ewing each scored 14 and Martynas Mazeika had 11 in defeat.

Macvan got the hosts on the scoreboard first and Grant responded with Neptunas’s first basket. A three by Zavackas gave Neptunas its first lead, 6-7. The teams traded shots and a Travis Bader triple made it 12-13, however Milan responded the next 8 points, including back-to-back threes by Andrea Cinciarini and Simon. Ewing scored 7 points in two-and-a-half minutes to trim the gap to 24-20 after 10 minutes. McLean started the second quarter with a three-point play, but Mazeika matched him from downtown. After Lafayette stretched the Milan advantage to 8, Bader and Ewing carried Neptunas to within 34-32. However Macvan rescued Milan with a three-pointer and Charles Jenkins added 3 points from the line in the final minute of the half to put his team up 41-32 at the break.

Neptunas came out ready for the second half and led by Arvydas Siksnius scored 9 straight points to tie the score. After Lafayette and Zavackas traded threes, Siksnius gave Neptunas the lead. However the lead changed hands and remained slim as the teams traded shots. Arnas Butkevicius edged the visitors ahead again, 53-54, at the end of the third quarter. Cerella and Lafayette scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter. McLean rejected Mazeika and Cerella drained a triple. Then 5 points from McLean gave the visitors a promising 65-56 lead with six minutes to go. Grant and Zavackas managed to bring Neptunas within 5 twice, but another Cerella triple and a Simon basket made it 74-64 with a minute and a third to go and Simon protected that lead till the final buzzer.