The visitors threw away an 11-point lead before the British playmaker forced the final twist
Trento stuns Liekabelis, 92-93, thanks to last-gasp Ellis floater
Dolomiti Energia Trento claimed its first BKT EuroCup win of the season as the Italian side celebrated a dramatic 92-93 victory at 7bet-Liekabelis Panevezys in Group B. The contest was settled when 20-year-old British playmaker Quinn Ellis netted a floater off the rim with 0.4 seconds left on the clock.
Ellis paced Trento with 13 points and 10 assists. Paul Biligha and Davide Alviti also scored 13 points each for the visitors, Myles Stephens chipped in with 12, while Luca Conti and Prentiss Hub added 10 apiece in a balanced team effort on offense. Deividas Sirvydis and Gediminas Orelik poured in 20 points each for Liekabelis. Nikola Popovic scored 14 points and Vytenis Lipkevicius added 13 for the home side, which slipped to 1-3 while Trento improved to 1-3 and got itself back into contention for a post-season berth.
Liekabelis got off to a perfect start as it took an 8-0 lead in the opening exchanges, only for Trento to hit back and tie the score 17-17 at the end of the first quarter.
The hosts were proficient from long range early on, hitting 5 of their opening 7 shots, but Trento always seemed to find a way to stay on an even keel and eventually carved out a 32-38 lead late in the second quarter. Liekabelis hit back with a 9-0 run that turned the tide, but the visitors again nosed ahead to take a 43-44 lead into the locker room at halftime.
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Trento was in the driving seat throughout the second half and it looked like the Italian side would coast to a comfortable victory, having taken a 64-71 lead at the end of the third quarter and it soared to 68-79 early in the fourth. The visiting team sank some tough shots from mid-range and beyond the three-point arc to stay in a commanding position, maintaining a 10-point advantage (81-91) heading into the last few minutes of the contest.
However, Trento then lost its grip on the game as the visitors fell apart on offense and paid the price for some wild shooting, allowing the home side to conjure an 11-0 run and take a 92-91 lead as Orelik sank 1 of 2 free throws. With 0.4 seconds left, it looked like Liekabelis had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat before Ellis silenced the vocal home fans with one of the biggest shots of his fledgling career.