By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
BOLOGNA, Italy – Despite being down even by 15 points (40-25) in the second quarter, Zalgiris Kaunas found a way to come back against Virtus Bologna, finding the first victory of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season by beating the Italian team 82-79.
Keenan Evans proved to be fit enough for Zalgiris Kaunas, ending the game with an amazing performance of 25 points and 4 rebounds in his first EuroLeague appearance since January 5, when he injured his Achilles tendon against Fenerbahce. The team’s captain Edgaras Ulanovas contributed with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The former Treviso player Tomas Dimsa had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Lithuanian team starting from the tip-off. Rolands Smits also had a pretty good showing against his national team’s head coach Luca Banchi, scoring 11 points with 4/6 from the field. Moreover, Brady Manek debuted in the EuroLeague with 8 points. Overall, Zalgiris Kaunas shot 11/19 (57.9%) from three.
“We won against a strong team like Virtus Bologna, which is an experienced team. It’s hard to play here against these fans, in the second part we played with more trust in each other and fought until the end”, Kazys Maksvytis commented in the post-game press conference. “I’m very happy for Keenan [Evans], he had a sad end of the season last year. From the first day, he was very professional, he deserved a comeback like this”, he added about the American guard.
Playing the 5 off the bench, Jordan Mickey was everywhere for Virtus Bologna, scoring 16 points with 3/3 from downtown and grabbing 5 rebounds, but he didn’t deliver in the clutch moments of the game. Injuring his ankle in the final of the 2023 FIBA World Cup against Germany, Ognjen Dobric debuted for his new team having a great impact straight from his first minutes on the court in PalaDozza, scoring 12 points in the losing effort.
Isaia Cordinier and Tornike Shengelia both provided all-around performances for Luca Banchi’s team. The French small forward ended the game by going close to a double-double with 12 points and 9 assists, while the Georgian leader – and point forward of this squad – added 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game of the season.
“Zalgiris came here and played a very solid game, with a great start. We responded fast, we controlled until the end of the third quarter. I’m very disappointed because it’s difficult right now to produce the same quality of basketball as our opponents. They were very sharp and put all of their experience and knowledge. We played without the continuity we need to succeed at such a high level”, Luca Banchi added after the loss.
The Lithuanian team approached the game well, starting it off with a 10-2 run thanks to a great beginning by the returning Keenan Evans. However, Virtus Bologna rapidly came back into contention, ending the first quarter up by eight points (23-15), and continuing to push in the second quarter as well, reaching the fifteen-point lead (40-25) with 2:34 minutes before halftime, where the guests managed to reduce the gap all the way to five points (42-37).
Entering the third quarter with the right attitude, Kazys Maksvytis’ team rapidly cut the deficit to tie the game at 44-44 after Tomas Dimsa’s trip to the free-throw line after 2:05 minutes on the court. However, the hosts took the momentum of the encounter back and ran way up 63-48 with a three-pointer from Tornike Shengelia. In what was a rollercoaster game, the Lithuanians began the fourth quarter down only 65-62 and found the 75-73 lead at 3:12 on the clock following Keenan Evans’ clutch three.
From then on, Zalgiris Kaunas kept pushing to eventually win it all in PalaDozza. However, Virtus Bologna still managed to leave the game on the edge until the final seconds, having the last shot available, where Isaia Cordinier lost the ball after making the inbound pass. The Italian team found a difficult night from beyond the arc, shooting 8/24 (33.3%).
Despite not playing one single minute against the green-and-white Lithuanian powerhouse, Iffe Lundberg was available after an eventful summer, leaving Awudu Abass out of the game. Nobody was injured between the two sides prior to the opening night of the European competition.
In Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, Zalgiris Kaunas will host Crvena Zvezda – which started the competition with a banger against ASVEL – on October 13 at 19:00 CET. At the same exact time, Virtus Bologna will travel to Monaco to face Sasa Obradovic’s team.
Before the game, Bologna FC’s chairman Joey Saputo was welcomed by the black-and-white basketball club with a customed jersey. The whole fanbase in PalaDozza greeted him with a round of applause while Virtus Bologna’s owner Massimo Zanetti handed him the gift.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague