Βy Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
Thanks to a late fourth-quarter 21-13 run, Virtus Bologna managed to come out with the 78-73 victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv, finding the second EuroLeague win in a row.
Milos Teodosic put the home crowd on fire, scoring 15 points and dishing 6 assists, while Daniel Hackett added the same amount of points, tying for the highest black-and-white scorer of the night.
“Our coaching staff was excellent in helping us with what we had to do on the court. The Guys fought hard. We wanted to fight and play hard. These fans were amazing tonight. They gave us a big boost late in the game,” Hackett said after the match.
Tornike Shengelia didn’t have his best game until the last ten minutes when he stepped up on the offensive end. The Georgian big ended the game with 12 points and 8/8 FT.
Lorenzo Brown was once again magical for the yellow-and-blue team, producing a losing effort of 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists against his national team coach Sergio Scariolo.
Josh Nebo had his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Bonzie Colson added 10 points and 6 rebounds.
Jalen Adams and Jarell Martin’s foul issues caused problems for the away team since both had four in the third quarter. Moreover, an unsportsmanlike foul called on John DiBartolomeo cut Maccabi‘s legs in the last seconds of the game.
Before the game, Virtus Bologna and the home crowd paid tribute to Sinisa Mihajlovic, who passed away earlier in the afternoon at 53 after fighting leukemia for several years.
Sergio Scariolo didn’t have Semi Ojeleye, who will miss four weeks of action after suffering an injury on the road against Olympiacos, Awudu Abass, who is recovering from a knee injury, and Jordan Mickey, who was a victim of a left shoulder contusion during the win against ALBA Berlin.
“We are extremely pleased with the win and the way we won. I have to give credit to the players and give big thanks to the fans. We believed in our chances until the very end. I felt we were in the game in the time-outs, even with seven points down. Players found a way to do it“, coach Scariolo said at the press conference.
Oded Kattash, on the other side, didn’t have Alex Poythress, who may be out for the rest of the season due to a hand injury, and Wade Baldwin IV, who suffered a hamstring strain against Valencia in Round 12.
“I’m very proud of the guys after double week. We are missing some players. We fought hard and gave everything tonight. It’s bad to lose the game like that in the end. They changed defense and put a lot of pressure on Lorenzo. We talked about it and were ready for it as much as possible. We missed some open shots in crucial moments, and it seemed like we lost confidence. It’s something we can learn from and be better next time,” coach Kattash said after the game.
In Round 15, Maccabi Tel Aviv (7-7) will once again play on the road, visiting ALBA in Berlin on December 22 at 20:00 CET. Virtus Bologna (6-8) will travel to Vitoria to face Baskonia on the same day at 20:30 CET.
PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna