Unics beat Montepaschi Siena 79-73; Improve to a 3-3 record - Euroleague Recap
A combination of brilliant defending and sheer offense artistry in the last quarter led Unics to an inspiring 79-73 win over Italian Champions Montepaschi Siena, in what was their sixth outing of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague
2011.
This win has improved Unics record to 4-2 and also magnified their chances of reaching the top 16. On the other hand, Montepaschi have dropped to 4-2 and now share the second position in group B with Unics.
Unics were trailing 55-61 with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter but completely dominated the 4th quarter to steal the victory from the jaws of Montepaschi.
Three-pointer machine, Henry Domercant paced the Russians with an outstanding 24 points including 6 for 8 three’s and an accurate 6 for 6 shooting from the free throw line. Vladimir Veremeenko was also monumental and completed
a double-double, scoring 21 points and forcing 10 rebounds. Lynn Greer also chipped in with his 12 to complete a well fought win for Unics.
From Siena, Mr. Consistent Bo McCalebb scored 22 points including 8 for 11 from the two point range and 3 for 5 from the free throw line. Rimantas Kaukenas (13) was the only other player who managed to end in double figures for
Siena.
Siena started strongly and rattled off a 12-4 run to take a commanding position. However their dominance was only short lived as Unics responded with an aggressive 9-0 spurt to get ahead 13-12. They capitalized on the momentum
and were leading by 18-16 with only a minute remaining in the quarter, when a three by Greer boosted Unics 21-16.
Unics dominated the first half of the second quarter but then Siena bounced back and reeled off an 8-0 spurt to get ahead 31-30. Another 6 point burst later in the quarter put them in a dominant position at 41-38. However seconds
before the buzzer, Mike Wilkinson drilled a three to end the quarter with both teams levelled at 41.
There was nothing to differentiate between both teams in the first few minutes of the third quarter. However later, Siena changed gears and scored in quick succession to get themselves in a comfortable position at 61-55 with about
a minute remaining in the quarter. Terrell Lyday scored two free throws in the fading seconds though to cut the lead to 61-57 as the teams headed towards the ultimate quarter.
The last quarter was all about Unics.
They started with a 17-4 burst to completely tilt the balance of the game and then hung tough down the stretch to seal the win.
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