The Black Vs redeem the disappointment of the Italian Cup lost in the Final against Germani Brescia, shorten the distance on the Spaniards and see the eighth place which would be worth the Playoffs.
Virtus is there. Sergio Scariolo’s team wins in front of its public crucial victory against a direct opponent for qualification to the second phase of the Euroleague, winning 88-83 against Cazoo Baskonia and immediately redeeming the last home defeat suffered against Barcelona, before the disappointment arrived in the Italian Cup against the splendid Brescia of Amedeo Of the valley.
The double figures of Milos Teodosic (17), Marco Belinelli (15), Toko Shengelia (12) and a commoner Awudu Abass (10), making his seasonal debut in European competition after he had returned to scoring points in Serie A on 12 February, 611 days from the last time before the ordeal due to serious knee injuries.
Segafredo, started with a 9-0 targato Teodosic-Ojelejeundergoes the vehement reaction of Daulton Hommes and Rokas Giedraitis who immediately rise to the chair after the two fouls that prematurely oust Markus Howard from the match, and recover the disadvantage to bring the guests, immediately sunk down to -9, forward on 13-18 with a controbreak of 18-4 which forces Scariolo to time-out, furious about the many turnovers (7 at the end of the first quarter) daughters of too many forcing and oversights in series. Between the end of the first and the beginning of the second period Marco Belinelli enters the game forcefully, who after the basket of 16-19 first scores the triple of 25-26, then responds to the baskets of Vanja Marinkovic and Giedraitis with yet another shot from beyond the arc, finally finds the third bomb in a row and the fourth of the first half that brings Virtus back to the lead on 33-31.
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The challenge continues on the tracks of balance between the question and answer on the Bako axis (on an assist from Teodosic)-Thompson, with Shengelia (24 hours ago engaged with his Georgia in the World Cup qualifiers) and Giedraitis to close the first half on 44-41 for the V Nere. At the beginning of the third quarter it was again Darius Thompson, an old acquaintance of the Italian championship with the HappyCasa Brindisi shirt, who kept the Basques in the game by thwarting the baskets of Momo Jaiteh (2 powerful dunks for 56-48) Sami Ojeleje, Daniel Hackett and a very positive Awudu Abass, who stings in attack but above all is Scariolo’s best player in the defensive half.
With a steal from Teodosic that becomes an assist for Jaiteh for the +6 dunk, Virtus tries the break which, however, is immediately stitched up by Costello and Howard, who after a silent match heavily enters the match with triples, one of which also finds a foul by Pajola at the end of the third period. However, they are another triple from Abass and one cunning by Marco Belinelli, who steals the ball from Howard in midfield and serves Shengelia for the 68-62 that closes the first 30 minutes, to give impetus to Bologna in view of the last 10 minutes. Which open, needless to say, still in the name of Abi Abasswho scores another heavy shot but which in any case is not enough to put out the flame of Baskonia, which with an immense Giedraitis who will close with 25 points still remains in the wake, before Daniel Hackett’s basket from the post-bottom and the dunk by Bako after another duo game with Teodosic build an 8-point lead on 75-67 which seems to be the definitive one.
All finished? Not even for a dream: Giedraitis finds three consecutive 3-point games and brings his team back to within 2 on 75-73, but just in the moment of maximum momentum for the guests, the triples arrive from Belinelli and Teodosic, who is then sent to the line 7 times with 6 shots converted, to build the final margin that closes the match on 88-83. Which does not overturn the result of the first leg (90-79 for the Basques), but fuels a dream that continues to remain close at hand for Bologna: the Playoffs, albeit difficult and with practically 8 teams within 4 points between sixth and thirteenth place, they are really attainable. And with the recovery of Abass to give further support and muscles to an external department until now still too dependent on the Teodosic-Belinelli pairing, Scariolo can count on a deep and talented roster to grab a qualification that, in the first year of the Euroleague after 14 years away from the most important continental competition, it would be miraculous.
