By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
BOLOGNA, Italy – Suffering in the late moments of the game, Virtus Bologna managed to survive against Crvena Zvezda, winning 85-79 and completing the double-game week perfectly. With this crucial win, came in a very emotional night, Luca Banchi’s team went up 3-1 in the EuroLeague standings.
Being named MVP of the EuroLeague Regular Season Round 3 against ALBA Berlin, Tornike Shengelia led once again Virtus Bologna to an impressive showdown, contributing with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists despite recording 8 turnovers.
“We lost against Zalgiris and we learned. We’re building on this- Today I made so many mistakes, but the team was there”, the Georgian power forward said in the post-game flash interview.
Continuing on his great start to the season under Luca Banchi, Isaia Cordinier was huge with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists. Being effective on the glass, Jordan Mickey was once again close to a double-double with 13 points and 8 rebounds, while Iffe Lundberg and Alessandro Pajola scored 10 points each for the Italian powerhouse. The team’s captain Marco Belinelli added 14 points with 4/7 from deep.
“They came to Bologna to show from the beginning their focus, their physicality and intensity. We started the game pretty well, in terms of effort we played a very continuos game. 19 turnovers cost a lot to our basketball and defensive transitions. There are details to adjust, but we started from very solid foundations. The guys were on a mission tonight”, Luca Banchi said after the victory.
Finding Virtus Bologna once again after playing against the black-and-white in the 2023 LBA Finals representing Milan, Shabazz Napier scored 23 points with 4 rebounds and 5 assists, followed by Luka Mitrovic’s 14 points. Without Mike Tobey, Crvena Zvezda saw some pretty good minutes overall by Joel Bolomboy, who ended the game with 8 points and 9 rebounds.
“They played how we expected, the difference for us was how we shot the three-pointers. We fought and I’m very happy with my team. Mike Tobey has nothing to do with our three points”, Dusko Ivanovic commented in the post-game press conference.
Virtus Bologna started things off pretty well, rapidly advancing to the 8-2 with back-to-back three-pointers by the captain Marco Belinelli with 7:10 on the clock. Pushed by an unbelievable atmosphere in PalaDozza, the home side managed to extend the lead to 11 points (26-15) to enter the second quarter, also thanks to two deep shots from beyond the arc from Alessandro Pajola.
With some flashy passes by the former Virtus Bologna’s mastermind as point guard of Dusko Ivanovic’s team, the Serbian team reduced the deficit to 26-20 early in the second quarter, where Adam Hanga banked in a well-built three-pointer, forcing Luca Banchi’s timeout. The home team scored its first basket in the second quarter, closing Zvezda’s 7-0 run, with Tornike Shengelia from deep.
Then, Iffe Lundberg happened with five straight points, bringing his team back to the 12-point gap (34-22) midway through the second quarter. Isaia Cordiner put Dejan Davidovac on the poster at 5:05, entering the highlight reel for the night. After receiving a blow on the face by Jaleen Smith earlier in the game, Shabazz Napier stepped up for the Serbian team minutes before halftime, and Dusko Ivanovic’s team reduced the deficit to eleven points (44-33) after being down even by sixteen.
After shooting 1/15 from beyond the arc, Crvena Zvezda unlocked itself with Branko Lazic, scoring a three-pointer from the corner to reduce the gap to single digits (46-38). Bringing serenity to his team after minutes of tension, Marco Belinelli banked in one of his threes off the screen, followed by Daniel Hackett for the 15-point lead (62-47) at 2:43 on the clock in the third. However, Rokas Giedraitis shot in back-to-back fashion from three, keeping his team afloat when entering the fourth.
In a game full of tensed nerves, Jordan Mickey began the remaining quarter for Virtus Bologna with a 2+1 reversed play. Regaining the 14-point lead (69-55) later on, Iffe Lundberg was found alone by his team’s offense beyond the arc. Scoring the first two points of the night by attacking the rim against his former team on the baseline, Ognjen Dobric found his contribution in the fourth quarter. Luka Mitrovic brought Crvena Zvezda down by six points (75-68) with 2:31 on the clock.
Being left alone from three-point range, Milos Teodosic reduced the deficit even more to four points (76-72) with 1:18 minutes until the final buzzer, after Daniel Hackett missed the second of two free throws awarded. Hitting Shabazz Napier on the head in the final minute of the game, Toko Shengelia received an unsportsmanlike foul, which gave Crvena Zvezda an extra possession to complete the comeback. Recovering an important ball off the inbound, Ognjen Dobric pulled off the miracle, giving Virtus the win in thrilling instants.
Before the game, Virtus Bologna’s fanbase on the stands of a soldout crowd in PalaDozza dedicated a tribute to Milos Teodosic, who played in Italy from 2019 to 2023. The Italian team’s owner Massimo Zanetti greeted him with a wonderful picture taken right after winning the 2022 EuroCup.
After winning both encounters against ALBA Berlin and Crvena Zvezda in the first double-game week of the EuroLeague season, Virtus Bologna will visit ASVEL on October 27 at 20:00 CET, while Crvena Zvezda will visit Partizan in the first Belgrade derby of the season one day earlier at 18:30 CET.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague