EA7 Emporio Armani Milan holds off Neptunas

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan held off Neptunas Klaipeda 73-74 on Jamel McLean’s late free throw to register the first road win of Group J. Milan improved to 3-1 and holds at least a share of first place in the group, while Neptunas fell to 1-3. Milan used a 2-11 second-quarter charge to surge ahead, led 26-36 at halftime and boosted the difference to 17 in the third quarter. Neptunas rallied back and tied the game at 71-71 with two-and-a-half minutes to go. It came down to the closing seconds, when McLean split free throws to put Milan up 1 and Donatas Zavackas’s last-second heave for the win missed. Krunoslav Simon led the winners with 15 points and 6 assists, McLean scored 14, Milan Macvan added 13 points and 7 rebounds and Andrea Cinciarini tacked on 10 points. Neptunas lost despite taking 14 offensive rebounds and outrebounding Milan overall 35-22. Zavackas led the hosts with 17 points, Martynas Mazeika added 13 and Travis Bader 11.

Jerai Grant opened the scoring for the hosts before Cinciarini buried a three for Milan. Daniel Ewing scored and set up Trent Plaisted as Neptunas jumped to a 12-5 advantage. Milan bounced right back on Simon’s three-pointer followed by his steal and assist to Cinciarini. Bader gave Neptunas a 5-point cushion with a triple, but baskets by Stanko Barac, Oliver Lafayette and Macvan gave Milan a 15-16 edge after 10 minutes. Grant put the hosts in front briefly with the first basket of the second quarter, however McLean scored twice to ignite a 2-11 Milan charge in which Mantas Kalnietis knocked down a triple for his debut Milan points as the visitors went ahead 19-27. Ewing nailed a three and Zavackas netted free throws to bring Neptunas within 3, but back-to-back threes by Kalnietis and Simon plus a free throw by Macvan made it 26-36 at halftime.

Macvan padded the Milan lead with a three to start the second half. A Cinciarini triple later boosted the difference to 15. Charles Jenkins and Macvan responded to Neptunas baskets with threes to make it 37-54. Threes by Zavackas and Bader trimmed the gap and a Plaisted basket-plus-foul got Neptunas within 48-59. Bruno Cerella and Zavackas traded threes and Simon and Zavackas made free throws to end the third quarter with Milan ahead 52-64. Mazeika heated up with a jumper and a three-pointer that cut the difference to 6. After McLean split free throws, Arvydas Siksnius nailed a triple and Zavackas added a pair of free throws to make it 66-68 with four minutes remaining. Simon split free throws and Grant scored to bring the hosts within 1. Bader’s third three of the game tied it at 71-71 with two-and-a-half minutes to go. The game came down to the closing seconds; McLean split free throws with 2 seconds left to put Milan ahead 73-74. Neptunas raced down court and Zavackas attempted a three to win it, but missed, which allowed Milan to escape with the victory.