Eriksson's ALBA hold off a late run by Milan to secure a home victory / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: www.imago-images.de - Scanpix Credit www.imago-images.de - Scanpix

ALBA Berlin (5-8) achieved an upset victory at home, beating AX Armani Exchange Milan (8-5) in Germany 81-76 (19-15, 24-19, 24-22, 14-20).

ALBA Berlin / Schedule

ALBA Berlin AX Armani Exchange Milan81-76 Panathinaikos Athens ALBA Berlin12-1019:00

ALBA started the game well right from the start, gaining a nine-point advantage in the first quarter (19-10). Milan responded with a 10-0 run that carried over to the second period (20-19), but ALBA were quick to regain an advantage that they kept for the remaining of the game.

Maodo Lo's 3-pointer gave the hosts a double-digit advantage at halftime (43-33). Their lead ballooned to 17 points in the third period after Ben Lammers' bucket (60-43).

But Milan rallied back in the fourth, cutting ALBA's deficit to just three-point at the halfway mark of the fourth quarter (66-69). Olinde helped Milan regain a five-point advantage (77-72), but Devon Hall's bucket cut the hosts' lead to a single point (76-77).

But then, Lammers and Marcus Eriksson ended the match with four straight points, not allowing Milan to score in crunch time, and finishing the match with a five-point victory (81-76).

Marcus Eriksson led ALBA with 21 points (2/3 2PT, 5/6 3PT, 2/2 FT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, and 24 PIR.

"These two wins in a row against extremely good teams are important for the team," Eriksson said post-game. "Milan made a big push in the second half. It was big for us to stay calm in the end. Louis Olinde took some rebounds, made some big defensive plays at the end. So we are very happy."

Shavon Shields was the most efficient player for Milan, ending with 9 points (2/3 2PT, 0/2 3PT, 5/7 FT), 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, and 15 PIR.

"Congratulations to Coach Gonzalez and ALBA. They played a good game," Efes coach Messina admitted after the game. "They were up for a great part of the game, and they outrebounded us very seriously, which was what cost us the game. There's nothing strategy-wise that is more important than taking care of the fundamentals."

ALBA: Marcus Eriksson 21, Maodo Lo 12 (6 AST, 5 REB), Luke Sikma 9 (7 AST, 6 REB), Christ Koumdje 8, Johannes Thiemann 8 (5 REB).

Milan: Malcolm Delaney 12, Kyle Hines 10, Shavon Shields 9 (5 AST), Luigi Datome 8, Ben Bentil 8, Nicolo Melli 8 (7 REB), Sergio Rodriguez 8 (6 AST).

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