Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade pulled off a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback on Thursday, defeating EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 104-96 at Allianz Cloud.
The victory lifted Zvezda to 12-10 in the EuroLeague standings, while Milan fell to 11-11 after holding leads for most of the first three quarters.
Milan dominated early, outscoring the visitors 55-44 by halftime and maintaining a 82-70 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Zvezda stormed back in the final period with a 34-14 run, fueled by defensive intensity and key scoring from Jared Butler and Nikola Kalinic.
Jordan Nwora led the way with 22 points but did not score in the fourth, allowing Butler, Chima Moneke, and Codi Miller-McIntyre to take over and control the finish.
Butler and Moneke each contributed 18 points, while Miller-McIntyre nearly recorded a triple-double with 15 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, also anchoring the defense in the fourth quarter.
Zvezda capitalized on 17 offensive rebounds, nine steals, and 12 forced turnovers to compensate for a 9-of-25 performance from deep.
Milan had five players in double figures, led by Shavon Shields’ 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, but could not withstand the Serbian team’s surge in the final 10 minutes.
Zvezda will next travel to AS Monaco before visiting Virtus Bologna, while Milan heads to Real Madrid and then returns home to face Zalgiris Kaunas.
