By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Pistoia came back from down 15 points in the fourth period to beat Virtus Bologna 100 – 93 on the road in one of the biggest upsets this season in the Italian League.
Ryan Hawkins (24 points, six rebounds), Payton Willis (23 points), Charlie Edward Moore (18 points) and Derek Ogbeide (17 points) led Pistoia’s efforts towards this stunning win. Their team even trailed by 19 points in the second half and was down 83 – 68 entering the fourth quarter before hitting consecutive shots for a 0 – 12 run that put them up 88 – 90 with four minutes to play.
Hawkins, Willis and Edward Moore combined for seven unanswered points in the last two minutes as Pistoia went up 90 – 97 with 30 seconds remaining, securing the win that puts them at 13-12.
Ante Zizic provided 16 points plus eight rebounds for Virtus while Iffe Lundberg added 16 points of his own.
This result dropped Virtus to 17 – 8 and the second place in the standings where Olimpia Milano and Reyer Venezia also stand. Germani Brescia is first at 18 – 7.
2023-24 Italian League Round 25 Results:
NutriBullet Treviso Basket 93 89 Carpegna Prosciutto Pesaro
Bertram Derthona Tortona 87 Vanoli Basket Cremona
Generazione Vincente Napoli Basket 90 97 Umana Reyer Venezia
Dolomiti Energia Trentino 84 79 Givova Scafati Basket
Happy Casa Brindisi 70 76 Banco di Sardegna Sassari
UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia 68 72 EA7 Emporio Armani Milano
Openjobmetis Varese 92 95 Germani Brescia
Virtus Segafredo Bologna 93 100 Estra Pistoia