By Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
In the first Italian derby played in the EuroLeague between EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Virtus Segafredo Bologna in 25 years, the black-and-white team won 64-59 on the road.
In his second game back from the shoulder injury he suffered before EuroBasket 2022, Tornike Shengelia was explosive for Virtus Bologna. The Georgian superstar had 12 points.
Jordan Mickey and Iffe Lundberg, who both joined the team in the summer, added respectively 14 and 7 points, while Milos Teodosic delivered 15 points with 5/6 from the arc in a classic night.
“We did what we’ve been talking about a lot these days. They are a great team despite some missing players. We are extremely happy for our fans and they haven’t seen us win a lot in Europe. They can enjoy it. Very valuable win on the road on an extremely difficult court against a tough opponent. They will grow because they have good professional talents”, Sergio Scariolo said after the game.
In his second-ever EuroLeague appearance, Nazareth Mitrou-Long was the highest scorer for his team, ending the game with 13 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds.
Nicolò Melli went close to a double-double with 9 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Davies had a losing effort of 11 points.
“Virtus won the game and survived on a very tough start, They come out with physicality and defense, and that was the game. We are surely playing badly, we just collapsed. We looked sad and depressed, we refused to take shots and we played with a sense of tragedy. My first responsibility is to help the players get back some cohesion. I will try to work in the best possible way to overcome this period”, Ettore Messina said in the post-game press conference.
Milan had a terrible offensive night, ending the game with 5/20 from the arc and 14/24 at the charity stripe, while wasting too many extra passes.
At the same time, Virtus Bologna also didn’t shoot well (15/35 2FG, 9/24 3FG, and 7/12 FT). However, they still managed to get the win, reaching Milan on a 3-4 record in the standings.
Ettore Messina didn’t have Shavon Shields, who is expected to be out until at least December due to a foot injury.
Billy Baron, who sustained a hamstring injury in his left thigh during the game against Real Madrid which will be re-evaluated in two weeks, and Gigi Datome didn’t make it as well.
Sergio Scariolo’s team came to Milan without Awudu Abass, who is recovering from a knee injury and is not expected to play anytime soon.
Both teams will now play on the road in Round 8. Virtus Bologna will face Valencia on November 17 at 20:30, while EA7 Emporio Armani Milan will travel to Kaunas the following day at 19.00 CET.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague