By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MILAN, Italy – Win: that was the imperative for Olimpia Milano in the second Italian derby of this year’s EuroLeague Regular Season, for at least two valuable reasons.
Getting their revenge after losing in Round 8 and in the latest LBA clash between the two sides, and most importantly to stay in the Play-In race.
Imposing its rhythm even before halftime, Ettore Messina’s team completed the task by getting the 90-75 victory over the black-and-white fiercest rivals, tying with Partizan Belgrade at 15-18.
They will now need to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv on the road and hope for their opponents to end up being defeated.
Nikola Mirotic was by far the best player on the court tonight for Milano, ending with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds while drawing 8 fouls that translated into a 9/11 at the line. Following him, the team’s captain Nicolò Melli had a solid night with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
“My players were really intense on defense, in attack they managed to use the miss-match and share the ball. We want to finish in the best possible way. It’s a win that gives trust, but our fate doesn’t depend only on ourselves”, Ettore Messina shared.
Without Marco Belinelli’s usual contribution (13 points on a poor 2/11 from beyond the arc), Virtus Bologna had to solely rely on Tornike Shengelia and Achille Polonara. The Georgian power forward led his side with 20 points, followed by the Italian national team member’s 8 points and 6 assists.
“Tough game, as we expected Milano is in a good moment. They used all their physicality and aggressiveness since the beginning; the qualify of our offense wasn’t as good as we expected. We want to approach the Play-In with the right confidence”, Luca Banchi said in the post-game.
How is Milano still in the qualifying race for the Play-In?
The game started with two threes from teammates in the Italian national team: first Alessandro Pajola, followed by Nicolò Melli. Milano gained the first lead of the game (10-9) with his captain converting from three at 4:46 on the clock. Banking in a circus shot for the 2+1 play, Alex Poythress put the home side up 18-9; Milano didn’t stop and extended its scoring run to 13-0, but Virtus answered with a 7-0.
Without Isaia Cordinier, still out for injury, Luca Banchi’s team found itself in a complicated situation when Awudu Abass committed his third foul midway through the second. Shooting from outside, Nikola Mirotic gave Milano once again the six-point lead (38-32) under two minutes of playing time before halftime; later on, Shavon Shields extended it to 46-34, before going to the locker rooms.
The second half opened with the same inertia, as Stefano Tonut dribbled his way to the basket for the 14-point lead. 2:34 minutes into the third quarter, Shabazz Napier converted from deep to push Milano even further at +19 (56-37). Virtus Bologna never came back in contention, with the red-and-white powerhouse reaching even a 24-point lead during the encounter.
In the first Italian derby of this year’s EuroLeague Regular Season, Virtus Bologna won at home 86-79 with some late clutch baskets by Iffe Lundberg. In LBA, the two teams have split victories on their opponent’s home court, and could potentially face each other for the fourth straight year in the Finals.
Traveling on the neutral court of Stark Arena, Ettore Messina’s team will conclude their EuroLeague campaign looking for a must-needed win against Maccabi Tel Aviv on April 11 at 20:05 CET, while hoping for Anadolu Efes to lose at home against already-eliminated Crvena Zvezda; the following day, Virtus Bologna will host Baskonia in a head-to-head clash for the 8th place at 20:30 CET.
PHOTO CREDIT: EA7 Emporio Armani Milano