By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Despite missing star Milos Teodosic, Virtus Bologna outlasted a challenging JL Bourg with an 83-82 victory at home in Round 9 of 7DAYS EuroCup.
Kyle Weems and Mam Jaiteh stepped up for Sergio Scariolo’s squad to lead the way with 15 points apiece and Marco Belinelli contributed 13 points as Virtus bounced back.
Bourg fought its way back into competition in the fourth quarter after the hosts got ahead 60-53 at 30′ and Rasheed Sulaimon (7 points) even made it a one-point game with 40 seconds remaining, though Weems was there to save the day for Virtus.
Jalen Jones scored 17 points along with 6 rebounds for Bourg which has now lost its third straight game. Maxime Roose and Jacorey Williams followed with 13 points each.
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica completed a 15-point comeback to edge Frutti Extra Bursaspor 83-82 at home for their first EuroCup game of the year.
Vladimir Micov and Willie Reed paced an epic comeback effort for Buducnost that has now won its second straight game. Micov posted 20 points and 7 rebounds for the home team, while Reed picked up a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds and his imposing block on Allerik Freeman kept Buducnost intact. DJ Seeley was added to the list of top scorers with 14 points and Justin Cobbs contributed 12.
Freeman posted a game-high of 22 points for Bursaspor while hitting 4-for-7 from the three-point, Derek Needham followed with 17 points and 7 assists and David Dudzinski also had 17 points.
Valencia emerged with another comeback in Group B to beat Ratiopharm Ulm 76-70 on the road. The Spanish side recovered a 15-point deficit with a strong performance in the second half and retained a slight advantage in the fourth quarter. Jaime Pradilla paced the visiting side with 15 points, 6 rebounds, Jasiel Rivero added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds and Mike Tobey had 11 points.
Semaj Christon was the leading scorer for Ulm with 15 points, Cristiano Felicio contributed 11 points and 8 rebounds, while Jaron Blossomgame had 9 points and 11 rebounds.
Group B Round 9 results:
Buducnost – Bursaspor 83-82
Ulm – Valencia 70-76
Virtus Bologna – JL Bourg 83-82
Cedevita – Promitheas suspended
Reyer Venice – Gran Canaria suspended
Group B standings:
| W | L | PTS+ | PTS- | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica | 7 | 2 | 735 | 670 | 65 |
| 2. Gran Canaria | 6 | 2 | 679 | 624 | 55 |
| 3. Valencia Basket | 6 | 3 | 774 | 736 | 38 |
| 4. Virtus Segafredo Bologna | 6 | 3 | 814 | 781 | 33 |
| 5. Umana Reyer Venice | 4 | 4 | 589 | 584 | 5 |
| 6. ratiopharm Ulm | 4 | 5 | 695 | 702 | -7 |
| 7. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | 3 | 5 | 653 | 677 | -24 |
| 8. Frutti Extra Bursaspor | 3 | 6 | 671 | 730 | -59 |
| 9. Promitheas Patras | 2 | 6 | 564 | 660 | -96 |
| 10. Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse | 2 | 7 | 722 | 732 | -10 |
Photo: EuroCup