The energy level was very low playing the fifth game over 10 nights with a depleted roster. So, Red Star took advantage of it and won convincingly 78-62 after its best defensive game of the season, according to its coach, Ioannis Sfairopoulos. Olimpia fought to the end and had a 6-for-22 night, had just 14 assists to make up for 15 turnovers, most of them very costly, unforced errors. “We have overwhlemed by the physicality of their guards especially Lazic, Hanga and Giedraitis, the pressure they put on our guards for 40 minutes. With this roster sometimes we had to play small and we struggled. We gave everything we had and tonight it was not enough,” Coach Ettore Messina said.
Olimpia lost control of the tempo early in the game. After leading 9-6, Red Star made two three-pointers in a row. Coach Messina called a time-out. Red Star made one more three. They took the lead and a margin they never relinquished. The first half was a nightmare because Olimpia didn’t find a way to protect its board and to play efficient defense. The lead balooned to 18 points. During the first six minutes of the second period, Olimpia scored just two point, off a Bortolani jumper from the corner. At the half, it trailed by 16, 47-31 and the chances of a comeback were from slim to none.
Depite the magnitude of a desperate attempt, Olimpia hit the ground running in the quarter. Melli hit a three, Poythress scored twice inside, Melli converted a fastbreak. The run was 9-0 and the margin reduce to seven points. Red Star came out of the time-out much better. Gradually it had its offensive rhythm again and regained a 15-point lead. The game looked over again. Instead, Olimpia’s heart was at work again. The rookie Giordano Bortolani tried to save the day for everybody on his way to a career-high 14 points, the fourth consecutive double-digit game. Olimpia’s defense was great, holding Red Star to 29 second half points. But the offense simply was not there. The margin was reduced again to five points in the fourth quarter but never less than five. And the last three minutes belong to Red Star again.
“It is understandable that after such a period of games with a decimated roster, suddenly the energy is down for everybody. Take Bortolani: I told him this morning that he was going to be guarded differently. They attacked him offensively, they guarded him with physicality and when he put the ball down everybody was running to him. He will have to adjust because they know he can score 15 on anybody. This is part of the process”, Coach Messina said at the end.
Rodney McGruder was at the game waiting for his debut. “He is a guard who can shoot knows how to play defense because he spent three years under Erik Spoelstra in Miami and in Detroit was coached by Dwane Casey. He is very good at attacking the closeout with his jump shot off the dribble. The size is good. I’m confident he will help us a lot. And then hopefully somebody will come back and give us a bigger rotation,” Messina closed his post game remarks.
