Virtus Bologna has won the only advance scheduled for Saturday evening for the eighteenth day of Serie A basketball. The Italian Champions beat Vanoli Cremona with a score of 79-71 thanks to a decisive extension in the last quarter, with the Lombards who remained in the game for 38 ‘without ever giving in. The bianconeri thus provisionally climbed to the top of the standings (28 points), with Olimpia Milano challenging Fortitudo Bologna tomorrow afternoon (the Milanese, however, have one less match to recover against Treviso).
Top scorer of the Bolognese Marco Belinelli with 20 points, together with Isaiah Cordinier and ‘Man’ Jaiteh with 12 points. At the squad of coach Galbiati i was not enough 18 points from Matteo Spagnolo and 13 from the veteran Peppe Poeta.
Very balanced first quarter, with the teams fighting point to point: Virtus scores, Cremona responds promptly. Matteo Spanish finds the baskets of the first advantage Vanoli (4-8), to which Segafredo counters with Cordinier and Jaieth (10-8, -4’49 “). The bianconeri then find a first extension, thanks to a 9-0 break by Alibegovic-Jaiteh: Virtus breaks through the double-digit advantage (19-8). Captain Poeta stops the bleeding (19-10), but Belinelli’s triple updates the maximum advantage to +12 (22-10). McNeace’s dunk and two points from the former Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs player set the score at 25-12 at the first siren.
2022 Italian Basketball Cup Scoreboard: program, TV, timetables, pairings. The complete schedule of the Final Eight
In the second quarter the Bolognese continue to push right from the start: two free shots by Nico Mannion and a dunk by Amedeo Tessitori bring the V-blacks to +18 (30-12), with Cremona unable to react to the overwhelming power of Juventus. It is still the young Spaniard who carries the team on his shoulders, finding the markings from the painted to make the passive less heavy (30-17). In the second part of the quarter, the two teams decidedly drop the percentages, with Cremona still nibbling a few points from the line thanks to the blue play. Virtus Bologna is still ahead at the interval but only seven points (32-25).
In the third quarter Virtus and Cremona seem to restart immediately strong: proof of this is the question and answer after less than a minute from the start of the second half, with Spaniard who scores from the painter and Pajola who replies by being fouled and then closing the 2 + 1 (35 -27). Andrea Pecchia catches the play number 9 who shoots from the bow for -5 (37-32), capturing the offensive rebound shortly after and thus placing his paw for -3 (37-34). Cordinier supports the new +5 Virtus (39-35), but Vanoli is in contact and does not want to retreat. Alibegovic’s dunk gives some oxygen to the Italian Champions (43-36), maintaining the +7 thanks to the stop and shot by Nico Mannion (47-40). Marco Belinelli and Andrea Pecchia’s two tricolor triples set the score at 54-49 at the third siren.
Last quarter that opens immediately with the deadly break of Vanoli Cremona signed by Dime-Poeta, which is worth -1 (54-53). Two free shots from Belinelli give Virtus back a full advantage (56-53), but the veteran Vanoli playmaker shoots the bomb of the tie from the bow (56-56). Mannion’s one-two and Cordinier’s step-back allow coach Scariolo’s team to put a small margin of safety between themselves and the guests (64-58). Cremona, however, never gives up, regaining the strength to shorten once again to -1 when there are less than 5 ‘to the final siren (67-66). Kyle Weems first and Belinelli then placed the baskets for the new +6 Virtus Bologna (75-69), then updating it to +7 thanks to the dunk of ‘Man’ Jaiteh (77-70). It is the decisive extension, with Cremona no longer able to keep up with the Italian champions: it ends 79-71 at the Segafredo in Bologna, with the public that can thus rejoice for the success of the bianconeri.
THE MATCH TABLE
SEGAFREDO VIRTUS BOLOGNA – VANOLI CREMONA 79-71 (25-12, 7-13, 22-24, 25-22)
Virtus Bologna: Belinelli 20, Pajola 7, Jaiteh 12, Weems 8, Cordinier 12, Tessitori 6, Mannion 8, Alibegovic 6, Ruzzier, Alexander, Sampson.
Cremona: McNeace 7, Pecchia 6, Poeta 13, Spanish 18, Cournooh 11, Dime 6, Kohs 3, Tinkle 7.
Credit: Ciamillo
