The Latvian forward impressed with a blistering second-half performance for the visitors.
Rolands Smits proved his worth at crunch time as Zalgiris blew Milan away
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 11 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Zalgiris Kaunas captain Edgaras Ulanovas was the star of his team's resounding 70-83 win at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, having paced the Lithuanian champs with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
Ulanovas netted 11 points in a low-scoring opening period, which Milan won 19-18, while guard Keenan Evans shined throughout the contest to finish on 19 points and 4 assists, but forward Roland Smits carried the visiting team when the chips were down.
The versatile Latvian opened the second half with a slam-dunk and followed up with a barrage of three-pointers, sinking 4 of 5 shots from downtown and most of them came when Milan was on the verge of swinging the momentum.
Smits, who also posted 2 rebounds and as many steals, finished the game just 4 points shy of hitting a milestone 1,000 mark in his EuroLeague career, providing the impetus Zalgiris so badly needed to get back to winning ways after a rough patch.
The Lithuanian champs had lost five of their last six and head coach Kazys Maksvytis left no room for doubt just how much strength and character it took for his players to stay strong in the face of adversity.
“It’s easy to lose confidence and the team spirit when you lose several games in a row, but with each defeat they became stronger,” Maksvytis said in a post-game interview. “We played with big motivation today,” he added.
Ulanovas echoed his coach’s views. “We knew Milan are a very good defensive team but this season with such talents as Shields and Mirotic in their ranks, they are even more dangerous offensively,” he said. “We did a great job defensively and we showed great unity as a team. We played great today but we need to be ready for the next one.”
Evans said he believes the victory could be a turning point as Zalgiris revived its hopes of reaching the postseason. “This is a big win for us,” he said. “Milan made their runs but we stayed with them in each quarter and we stayed together as a team. We’ve been struggling lately and this kind of win gives you momentum.”
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Milan head coach Ettore Messina conceded that his men were outplayed in all departments, particularly in long-range shooting and sharing the ball as Zalgiris dished out 16 assists, 5 more than the home team.
“This is a tough loss for us. We suffered on offense as we had only 11 assists and we failed to match their aggressive approach,” Messina told the post-game press conference. “We never created enough advantage while moving the ball and we suffered all game when they attacked our big men and forwards.”
Both teams face German rivals in Round 12 as Zalgiris visits the competition’s bottom team ALBA Berlin, while Milan is away to FC Bayern Munich.
