The Italian side ended its 24-game losing run in the BKT EuroCup after the English guard sank a game-winning floater.
Trento snaps losing road streak as Quinn Ellis snatches impressive win
Article
6 Mins read
It looked like the all too familiar script of Dolomiti Energia Trento losing a road game in the BTK EuroCup would remain unchanged after the Italian side threw away an 11-point lead against 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys in a rip-roaring Group B contest on Wednesday night.
Having led 70-81 midway through the fourth quarter and then 81-91 halfway through the fourth quarter, Trento allowed the home side to turn the game on its head with an 11-0 run. With only 4 seconds left on the clock, 20-year-old playmaker Ellis Quinn dribbled his way into the paint and unleashed a sweet floater, which kissed the rim and went in, throwing the away team into raptures.
Trento ends its long wait for a road win
It means Trento won its first road game after 24 successive defeats, leaving Slask Wroclaw as the solitary holder of the unwanted record, as the two teams were tied prior to the clash in Lithuania.
Ellis, who won player of the game honors after recording a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, was in seventh heaven after steering his team to a much-needed win.
"It was a play drawn up to get a three or going downhill. I went downhill, got to my right, just threw it up and it went in, so I'm happy with it,” Ellis said in a flash courtside interview after the final buzzer.
"We shared the ball very well, we ran well in transition and we found the open man every time, so this is why we had such a high-scoring game with many assists. We like to share the ball a lot.
"It was a big win for us just to get that zero off the board, to finally get a win. Now we'll push to next week and try to get a streak in the EuroCup, which would be really good.”
Losing in one area, winning in another
Lietkabelis fired on all cylinders on offense early on, draining 5 of its opening 7 three-pointers, while it also dominated the boards in the first half (21-13). However, Trento thrived on a balanced offensive effort as six of its players ended in double figures in scoring, having shot 13-of-32 from three-point range.
The home side, which sank 11-of-19, grabbed a staggering 45 boards (12 offensive) against 26 collected by the visitors, but Trento dished out 25 team assists which epitomized its free-flowing offense for the lion’s share of the game.
It was ground to a halt in the last few minutes as Lietkabelis found another gear before Ellis forced the final twist.
“I am really happy for the people who work at this club and this win has been a long time coming,” Trento’s head coach Paolo Galbiati told the post-game press conference. “We got lucky in the end after struggling on offense in the last few minutes of the game.”