The Serbian team had more left in the tank down the stretch after a physical battle
Crvena Zvezda forces Monaco into submission in overtime, 88-82
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade ground out an 88-82 overtime home win over AS Monaco after a titanic tussle in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and improved to 13-9 behind majestic performances from Filip Petrusev and Isaiah Canaan.
Petrusev poured in a career-high 29 points to go with 6 boards in just 22:36 minutes on the court and Canaan added 20, including 6 in the additional five minutes when Monaco’s firepower dried up in the cauldron of Belgrade Arena.
Joel Bolomboy chipped in with 15 points and 5 boards for Zvezda, while Jaron Blossomgame and Donatas Motiejunas scored 16 points apiece to pace Monaco, which slipped to 13-9 as the battle for postseason spots intensified in Europe’s premier club competition.
Mike James netted 14 points for the visitors but endured a poor shooting night as he went 0 of 7 from downtown, while Alpha Diallo racked up 11 points and 9 boards.
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Bolomboy stood out for Zvezda in the first quarter but a 0-7 run midway through put Monaco in control as the French team opened up a 13-21 lead at the end of the first period.
The tide tuned in the second as the home team conjured a 19-3 streak to surge ahead 32-24 with Petrusev taking center stage. The swingman took full advantage of Monaco’s small-ball unit and drained 13 points in the second quarter to galvanize Zvezda and its fervent home crowd, but Monaco rallied to slash the deficit to 36-34 at halftime on the back of 18 rebounds, 6 of them coming on the offensive end.
Zvezda, on the other hand, compensated for poor long-range shooting (2 of 12) with excellent percentages from inside (12 of 15), as well as 7 steals, setting the tone for a fascinating third quarter. Driven by Canaan and Petrusev, the hosts raced away into a 46-36 lead but Monaco stormed back to lead 59-60 ahead of the final 10 minutes as Blossomgame continued to do damage from all over.
The visitors gained the upper hand early in the fourth, 59-65, but Zvezda responded with a 7-0 run which generated a tit-for-tat battle going down to the wire. A fine James layup gave Monaco a 74-76 lead in the final minute, before Canaan forced overtime with a carbon copy, drawing wild cheers from the home fans.
Canaan opened the overtime period with a three-pointer to put Zvezda in the driving seat and the hosts never looked back, although Monaco closed in to 83-81 midway through. However, an Ognjen Dobric floater followed by ice-cool free-throw shooting from Canaan sealed the contest, as Zvezda’s players received a standing ovation from their faithful at the end of a strength-sapping classic.