Achille Lonati shined with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists
Milan defeats Barcelona 80-85, for second straight win
Game Report
3 Mins read
U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan is one win away from securing participation in the 2024-25 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals Championship Game after beating U18 FC Barcelona 80-85 on Friday. The Italian side maintained a narrow lead for the majority of the game, managed to absorb Barcelona’s comeback attempts and recorded its second straight victory. Everything in Group A will be decided on Saturday, but a Milan (2-0) win over U18 Dubai Basketball (1-1) would be enough for Michele Catalani’s team to clinch a Championship Game spot.
Achille Lonati stood out with 28 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks for a PIR of 35. Diego Garavaglia netted 17 points and Omar Karem had 13 - 6 of which were scored down the stretch.
Lluc Pluvinet led Barcelona with 15 points and Mohamed Dabone had 11, with Daniel Gonzalez netting 10. Mohamed Dabone completed a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort.
Milan started strong and took an early 4-10 lead, with Garavaglia scoring half of his team’s points. Barcelona responded with a 7-0 surge before tying the game at 19-19 heading into the second quarter. A 0-6 run from Milan was followed by a 9-0 spurt from Barcelona, but the Italian side managed to secure a 36-41 advantage at halftime.
An entertaining exchange of blows from inside and beyond the arc saw Milan maintain a 57-60 edge mainly thanks to Lonati, who scored 11 of his team’s 19 points in the third quarter. Offensive rebounds kept Barcelona in the game, but 6 straight points from Karem in crunch time sealed the outcome.
