As short-handed as it was, Olimpia found a way to play a memorable game in terms of focus, attention, intensity and defensive efficiency, defeating Bayern 75-51 for its 13th win of the EuroLeague season, the fourth in a row. Olimpia, without Shavon Shields, Vlado Micov and late scratches Jeff Brooks and Michael Roll, hit the ground running from a defensive perspective and gradually entered into the game, took a big lead, early, and never looked back, leading by as many as 29 points. Bayern was held to 10 points in the first period, 10 more in the second. “We played with great focus, very humble, and I think my players were extremely focused in attacking their switches. In this, Kyle Hines was the player of the game for me because he gave us that depth inside the paint, attacking the switch every time and making plays that basically helps us to get the lead,” Coach Ettore Messina said at the end.

Olimpia had something from a lot of guys, including Andrea Cinciarini and Paul Biligha. Davide Moretti scored his first EuroLeague points at the end, in a night that Kaleb Tarczewski made unforgettable by grabbing his 500th career rebound. Olimpia started 16-2, kept Bayern to 18-for-58 from the field, forced 20 turnovers and allowed only seven assists. Sergio Rodriguez led the scorers with 14, going 6-for-7 from the field, Kevin Punter added 12 and Zach LeDay 10 plus eight rebounds. Riccardo Moraschini, starting at the small forward position, scored 11 points, making all his four field goal attempts.

“We were ready. We knew we were playing against a very good team that has been doing a very good job this season, so our defense was great, especially in the first half, and we dominated that aspect of the game,” Sergio Rodriguez said at the end.