Baskonia Defeats Olimpia Milano 86-76 with Dominant 14-2 Closing Run

Baskonia secured their first European victory of the season, defeating Olimpia Milano 86-76 at Fernando Buesa Arena. The team controlled the game from start to finish, weathered a brief fourth-quarter scare, and sealed the win with a decisive 14-2 run that left no doubt.

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13-2 in Three Minutes

The start was flawless. The Vitoria side came out with crisp ball movement and built a 13-2 lead in the opening three minutes that caught Milan off guard from the start. The first quarter ended 26-16.

In the second quarter, the game became sloppy with turnovers on both sides, but Baskonia maintained control of the pace, relying on AJ Lawson's three-pointers. At halftime, 44-36.

Milan Fights Back with Hall's Threes

The third quarter belonged to the Italian team. Two three-pointers from Devon Hall brought them back into the game and gave them confidence to tighten their defense, though Baskonia responded with DJ Stewart to enter the final period up five (65-60).

That's when the critical moment arrived. Milan continued to pressure until they took the lead 70-72, the only time in the entire game they were ahead in the second half.

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The Response: 14-2

From that 70-72 deficit, Baskonia strung together a 14-2 run that sealed the game. This was the stretch that was missing in the first two matchdays, when the team deflated precisely when it needed to hold the lead, and it explains why they won this time around.

Lawson led the scoring with 16 points, Stewart contributed 12, and Damion Baugh—the same player who decided the Liga Endesa victory in Burgos with a 2+1—added 9. Chris Duarte chipped in 8 and Marcio Santos, the interior reinforcement who arrived this summer, posted 8 in a night when the inside game responded.

Milan Leaves Empty-Handed

For Olimpia, Wright led the way with 17 points, Hall finished with 12, and Peters with 10. Numbers sufficient to compete, but the Lombard team fell apart in the final minutes and scored just two points in the decisive stretch.

For Baskonia, the victory comes at the perfect moment: on Sunday they host FIATC Girona in the Liga Endesa after winning in Burgos in the first matchday, and they do so with a solid European week after the beating they received in Valencia midweek.