Mike James buried the game-winning three-pointer with 7 seconds remaining to lift AS Monaco to a 79-76 victory over UNICS Kazan on Tuesday at Salle Gaston Medecin.
James lifts Monaco over UNICS in thriller
Game Report
4 Mins read
The game was a make-up game from Round 20 as well as a rematch of last season’s 7DAYS EuroCup Finals. Monaco led for most of the game and was up 15 after a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter. Mario Hezonja and OJ Mayo led a UNICS comeback to tie it in the final minute, but James came through with the game on the line. The Monaco guard finished with 25 points, 7 assists and 2 steals to pace the winners, who improved to 13-13. Donatas Motiejunas posted 11 points and 10 rebounds, Alpha Diallo tallied 11 points and 9 boards and Donta Hall had 10 points, 7 boards and 3 blocks for Monaco. UNICS lost for the fifth time in six games to fall to 13-12 on the season. Hezonja finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, John Brown added 16 points and 8 rebounds, Mayo had 15 on 5-of-6 three-point shooting and Marco Spissu scored 10 in defeat.
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Tonye Jekiri opened the scoring for the visitors before James got Monaco on the scoreboard with free throws. John Brown and James each scored twice with free throws by the latter making it 10-8 midway through the opening quarter. Motiejunas dominated the glass and buried a triple to extend the lead. UNICS timeout did little to change to momentum as Will Thomas added a three-point play. Back-to-back threes by Hezonja and Spissu got UNICS back on track at 16-14. After Hall’s alley-oop slam and Danilo Andjusic free throws, another Hezonja three made it 22-19 after 10 minutes.
Diallo and Hall extended the margin to 7 early in the second quarter only to see UNICS promptly respond through Jekiri and Mayo. Lorenzo Brown tied it at 28-28 after stealing the ball and getting to the free-throw line. James shined with a chase-down block on one end and a bucket at the other as Monaco regained control, but another three by Mayo kept UNICS close. Hezonja was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul on James, whose free throws made it 38-32. Andjusic bettered Hezonja’s score with a triple and James ended the half with a three for a 44-36 cushion.
It took nearly 2 minutes before Motiejunas scored the first basket of the second half and when he did, he gave Monaco a double-digit lead. John Brown revived UNICS only to see Diallo rifle in a three-pointer. James made it 51-38. Lorenzo Brown made free throws and Spissu netted a three as UNICS looked to stay close. A basket-plus-foul from John Brown got UNICS within 53-46. James got Monaco going again with a three and Andjusic followed with a put-back. After Jekiri scored inside and Andrey Vorontsevich from downtown, it was 58-52. A three by Hezonja got UNICS within 5 before Yakuba Ouattara’s free throw ended the third quarter with Monaco leading 61-55.
Hezonja collected a steal and had an open look from behind the arc that could have put the pressure on Monaco, but he missed and the hosts went on a 9-0 run for their biggest lead of the night, 70-55. Mayo’s triple ended a 4-plus-minute scoring drought and Spissu followed with his third three on the next possession. When Hezonja scored, he completed a 0-8 response. Motiejunas came through for Monaco with a basket-plus-foul. UNICS kept knocking on the door and free throws by Hezonja made it 72-67 with 3 minutes remaining. Mayo added a triple that prompted a Monaco timeout. After Hall scored for Monaco, John Brown’s three-point play made it 74-73 with 2 minutes left. Will Thomas scored inside with 58 seconds on the clock, but Mayo’s fifth three of the night tied the game at 76-76. James dribbled into the corner and nailed the game-winning three with 7 seconds left as UNICS turned the ball over on its final possession.
