By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The first surprise of the Italian league came at midday, as Napoli Basket celebrated a big win against Milan at home, beating the EuroLeague side 77-68 with an outstanding performance by Tariq Owens.
The 28-year-old center, who played last year in Varese, powered up Igor Milicic’s team with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Michal Sokolowski’s 16 points and 7 rebounds. Tomislav Zubcic also contributed with 17 points and 5 rebounds, while the former Barcelona guard Jacob Pullen provided 10 points and 7 assists.
Talking about EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, which won’t play against Maccabi Tel Aviv on October 12 in the EuroLeague after the game was officially suspended, Nikola Mirotic was by far the best on his team with 24 points and 5 rebounds. Nobody else on Ettore Messina’s team scored in double digits.
Marco Belinelli leads Virtus Bologna to 2-0
Gaining momentum through veteran Marco Belinelli, Virtus Segafredo Bologna marched past Openjobmetis Varese, 115-84, in PalaDozza.
Belinelli, 37, required 21 minutes to put up 23 points, behind 7/11 three-pointers. Jordan Mickey drew up a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double and Alessandro Pajola threw in 16 more points. A comfortable win for Luca Banchi’s side, despite sitting out Jaleen Smith and Tornike Shengelia. On the losing end, Olivier Hanlan stood out with 22 points.
In Round 3 of the 2023-24 LBA season, Olimpia Milano will host UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia in Mediolanum Forum Later on October 15, while Napoli will face another unbeaten team like Brescia on the same day. Virtus Segafredo Bologna will host Openjobmetis Varese at 19:00 CET in Paladozza.
2023-24 LBA – Round 2 results
NutriBullet Treviso – Germani Brescia 71-99
GeVi Napoli – EA7 Emporio Armani Milano 77-68
UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia – Givova Scafati 85-77
Estra Pistoia – Dolomiti Energia Trentino 73-78
Vanoli Cremona – Banco di Sardegna Dinamo Sassari 86-74
Bertram Yachts Derthona Tortona – Happy Casa Brindisi 69-68
Virtus Segafredo Bologna – Openjobmetis Varese 115-84
Carpegna Prosciutto Pesaro – Umana Reyer Venezia 64-76
STANDINGS: Virtus Bologna 4 (2-0), Reggio Emilia 4 (2-0), Napoli 4 (2-0), Brescia 4 (2-0), Venezia 4 (2-0), Trentino 4 (2-0)…
PHOTO CREDIT: Napoli Basket