Olympiacos rallies past Milan on the road

In an intense showdown that went down to the wire, Olympiacos Piraeus rallied to beat EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 66-71 on the road on Friday. Olympiacos improved to 2-1 while Milan dropped to 1-2. Patric Young led the winners with 18 points, Georgios Printezis added 16 while Vassilis Spanoulis had 14 for Olympiacos. Alessandro Gentile led Milan with 24 points and 7 assists and Krunoslav Simon added 11 for the hosts. An outstanding Gentile shined in the first quarter and got help from Milan Macvan and Oliver Lafayette to give Milan a 23-20 lead after 10 minutes. Matt Lojeski stepped up for Olympiacos and a tip-in by Othello Hunter made it 27-34. Milan managed to tie the game, 37-37, on a big three-pointer by Charles Jenkins, but a jump hook by Hunter restored a 37-39 Olympiacos edge at halftime. Olympiacos led most of the way in the third quarter, but a triple by Simon gave Milan a 64-62 lead after 30 minutes and another one by Gentile made it 60-54. Young, Spanoulis and Printezis fueled a 0-10 run, but a jumper by Gentile tied it at 64-64 with a minute left. A critical jumper by Spanoulis and a dunk-and-foul by Printezis sealed the outcome down the stretch.

First quarter: Gentile puts Milan ahead

Both teams struggled to score early until Gentile fed Macvan for a backdoor layup. Printezis hit his trademark jump hook, but Gentile did better with a bomb from downtown. Young hit a jump hook and soon added a backdoor layup to tie it at 6-6. Jenkins struck from downtown, but an unstoppable Young matched that with a layup-plus-foul. Spanoulis buried a three-pointer, but Gentile kept pushing Milan with a driving basket and a dunk by Lojeski restored an 11-14 Olympiacos lead. Gentile sank a mid-range jumper and Lafayette added a big triple off the dribble for a 16-14 Milan lead. Gani Lawal shined with a power layup and split free throws. Spanoulis and Macvan traded three-pointers and a layup by Printezis kept Olympiacos within 22-20. A free throw by Gentile fixed the score at 23-20 at the end of a very exciting first quarter.

Second quarter: Milan falls behind, uses 10-0 run to rally back

Lojeski found space for an uncontested layup early in the quarter, but Gentile quickly answered with a big basket in the low post. Daniel Hackett hit a jump hook and a five-meter jumper by Lojeski put Olympiacos back ahead, 25-26. Dimitrios Agravanis split free throws and a finger roll layup by Young boosted the guests' lead to 4. Krunoslav Simon rescued Milan with an off-balance basket and Young and Printzis set a 27-32 Olympiacos margin. Hunter shined with a tip-in, but Gentile did even better with a three-point play. Macvan made foul shots, but a three-pointer by Agravanis gave the Reds a 32-37 lead. Lafayette scored in penetration and a three-pointer by Jenkins ignited the crowd and saw Olympiacos call timeout at 37-37. Hunter stepped up with a jump hook to give Olympiacos a 37-39 lead as both teams headed back to the locker rooms.

Third quarter: Three-pointers put hosts in charge

Gentile scored around the basket right after the break and a free throw by Young gave Olympiacos a 39-40 lead. Jamel McLean stepped up with a big slam for his first points, which Printezis erased with a big basket in the low post. Both teams went scoreless for a couple of minutes until Young took over with a layup - and the free throw that came with it – for a 41-45 Olympiacos lead. Hackett made free throws and Gentile split attempts. Stanko Barac brought Milan within 43-47. Jenkins shined with a big basket in penetration, causing Olympiacos to call timeout. Hackett hit more foul shots, but Simon did better with a big three-pointer that brought the crowd to its feet at 48-49. Olympiacos struggled to get Lojeski involved, but Hackett kept pacing the Reds with a wild three-point play. Robbie Hummel hit a three-pointer from the right corner and Simon did the same from the left corner to regain the lead, 54-52, for Milan through three quarters.

Fourth quarter: Olympiacos stars take care of business

Simon hit a technical free throw early in the fourth quarter, as Olympiacos kept struggling to score without Spanoulis on court. Gentile swished a mid-range jumper that made it a five-point game. Printezis stepped up with another jump hook, which Gentile bettered with a wild three-pointer. Spanoulis answered from downtown and a high-flying put-back slam by Young brought Olympiacos as close as 60-59. Printezis buried a critical three-pointer which gave the guests a 60-62 edge with four minutes left. Milan kept struggling to score when it mattered most and called timeout to get Gentile and Simon involved. Meanwhile, free throws by Young capped a 0-10 Olympiacos run, 60-64. Milan had been held scoreless for almost six minutes until Simon stepped up with a layup. A step-back jumper by Gentile tied the game at 64-64. Spanoulis hit a five-meter jumper already in the final minute and a dunk-and-foul by Printezis sealed the outcome, 64-69, with 7.6 seconds left.