While Monaco needed to beat Vilnius in order to qualify for the quarter-finals of the EuroCup, the Roca Team suffered a major defeat playing away in Lithuania, eliminating from the Roca Team from the tournament.
Monaco bid farewell to qualification for the quarter-finals of the EuroCup this past Wednesday night by bowing 90-68 to Vilnius. The Roca Team absolutely had to win in Lithuania, regardless of the score, to reach the round after the Top 16. Unfortunately, they were not up to the task, which lead the team to fail on all fronts.
Vilnius indeed finished each of the four quarters with a lead, going into halftime leading 46-29 against the Roca Boys who looked completely helpless. The Lithuanians led from start to finish, with a gap of up to +25 in the last quarter. The 17 point performance from Elmedin Kikanovic and the additional 16 from Sergii Gladyr proved insufficient for the Monegasques, who will now have to focus on the Jeep Elite, where they have had mixed results, occupying the league’s underwhelming eleventh place. The deception of this EuroCup exit stings even more deeply after the Roca Team came into the Top 16 with two wins and one defeat…
The coaches’ impressions
Saso Filipovski (ASM coach): “Congratulations to Rytas. They dominated us for 40 minutes, they set the tone. They had more energy and they took control of the rebounding blocks. They were tougher and more physical. I wish good luck to Rytas in the playoffs.”
Dainius Adomaitis (coach of Rytas): “Finally, we played a good match without being anxious at the end. Our rebounding was the main key to our success. I love my team. They love to play basketball. They’re a dream for any coach.”