Real fights past Stellazzurra for ticket to ANGT Finals

U18 Real Madrid secured a ticket to the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals by fighting past U18 Stellazzurra Rome 77-85 to take first place at the ANGT Istanbul. Eli Ndiaye collected 28 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 8 fouls drawn for an index rating of 36 for the two-time U18 continental champion. Matteo Spagnolo added 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists against his former team and Urban Klavzar chipped in 11 points for Real. The 2015 and 2019 champion has now won eight straight qualifying tournaments in which it has competed (ANGT L’Hospitalet in 2014, 2015 and 2016, ANGT Coin in 2017 and ANGT Munich in 2018, 2019 and 2020) and will be going for continental title number three, which would even the best mark of U18 CSKA Moscow. Nicola Giordano poured in 21 points for Stellazzurra, which was hoping to avenge a loss to Real in the ANGT Munich first-place game last season. The Italian side, which reached the 2018 ANGT Championship Game, also saw Matteo Visintin and Lucas Maglietti score 17 points in the defeat.

Emmanuel Innocenti started the game with a three-pointer for Stellazzurra and Spagnolo hit one at the other end, but Innocenti followed with another from deep for a 10-7 lead. Giordano added three scores and the Italian side led 18-11. Real managed the final 4 points of the quarter to trail 18-15 after 10 minutes. Real scored 7 straight points early in the second quarter to take its first lead, 20-22. Giordano punched back with 7 points and Stellazzurra led 31-25. Spagnolo and Klavzar hit from deep to even the game at 31-31 only to see Kevin Ndzie with 5 points push the team ahead 40-34. It was 43-37 at the break.

Real came out of the locker room and scored the first 6 points of the half to tie the game - and force a Stellazzurra timeout. Maglietti made the Italian team’s first basket and two Visintin scores had Stellazzurra up 49-48. The Real defense turned up the intensity and kept Stellazzurra scoreless for more than 4 minutes in a 0-10 surge to lead 49-58 and it was 51-61 after 30 minutes. Stellazzurra offered a punch to start the fourth quarter with 6 straight points to pull within 57-61. After a timeout, Klavzar and Ndiaye drained back-to-back three-pointers and it was once again a double-digit lead. Spagnolo’s jumper made it 57-69. Maglietti would not let his team go down without a fight, converting a four-point play to pull within 63-69. Two Spagolo scores were countered by triples from Maglietti and Visintin as Real could not shake Stellazzurra. It was 71-77 with under 3 minutes left. Real did not falter down the stretch as Spagnolo and Ndiaye combined for 6 free throws to fend off the Stellazzurra fight and secure a ticket to the ANGT Finals.