At the Buesa Arena the Black Vs suffered their third consecutive defeat: the Basques attacked the match better and led it from start to finish. Diallo and Luwawu-Cabarrot were decisive, putting together 30 points
Nothing to do for Virtus: the third consecutive defeat in the Euroleague arrives at the Buesa Arena, the fifth in nine rounds. Galbiati and Spagnolo’s Baskonia smiles, winning 87-76 and achieving their third success in a row. The Basques attack the match better and lead it from start to finish, taking advantage of the Bolognese defense’s difficulties in pairing up. The 14 turnovers and 8/25 from 3 do the rest, with Edwards very inaccurate (4/16 shooting), while Niang (double double of 18 and 12 rebounds) is the last to give up. For the hosts, Diallo and Luwawu-Cabarrot were decisive, putting together 30 points.
uphill start
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Virtus’ match immediately gets uphill: Baskonia starts strong, and the 11-2 after 4′ forces Ivanovic to time out. The Basques’ offensive rebounds (4) create extra possessions, with Diallo and Sedekerskis very aggressive (7 points each in the first 10′), while Bologna suffers from the speed of their opponents’ play. The Italian champions exploited trips to the line, but found no countermeasures for Galbiati’s small quintet, who alternated this solution with the “long double” Diop-Diakite. Virtus produces good actions with the Diouf-Niang duo, but the hosts fly to +12 (42-30 at 16′) with a triple from the tip of Nowell, and return to the locker room at 46-34.
it’s not enough niang
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To reopen the game a spark is needed, and Saliou Niang will light it. The Basque defense is unable to contain him, and the blue is perfect both from the field (5/5) and from the line (6/6). Niang leads Virtus to an 11-2 run (56-52 at 26′), but when the deficit becomes just one point, Baskonia reacts: 7 points in the last minute of the third quarter, to return to +8 (65-57) entering the last 10′. Thanks to several excellent plays by Spagnolo, Galbiati’s team even escapes to +16 (75-59), but Virtus responds by breaking the deadlock from 3. It is too late, however, to hope for a comeback: Bologna forces shots and makes mistakes, tired and lacking clarity. On the other side, Luwawu-Cabarrot, silent but constant, sealed his team’s success with a triple to make it 83-70, 3′ from the siren.
Baskonia: Luwawu-Cabarrot 16, Diallo 14, Sedekerskis 13 Bologna: Niang 18, Edwards 10, Diouf 10
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