Dorsey’s play (23 points) and Fournier’s triples (7/10 from 3) stopped the comeback sparked by Vildoza and Morgan (12 points in the final period). Then Alston’s shot at the siren fails for possible extra time
Nothing to do for Virtus. After the excellent performance against Brescia which had given them first place in Serie A, in the Euroleague Olidata fell against the battleship Olympiacos 97-94: the Dorsey-Fournier pair, who combined for 44 points, appeared irrepressible for the Vu Nere, for whom the sensational comeback from -20 in the second half led by Vildoza and Morgan was not enough.
the match
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Despite some initial difficulties in containing Vezenkov, Bologna appears more brilliant in the first quarter (25-23) thanks to a precise defensive organisation, which produces good opportunities in transition. The icing on the cake at the start of the match was Carsen Edwards who, despite remaining limp after a foul contact by Walkup, scored 9 points in 6′. Olympiacos makes up for it in the second period with the second lines, led by Fournier, who rings three consecutive times from the arc: the Greeks capitalize on the aggressiveness of the Juventus defense, enter the bonus in less than 3′ and create a good buffer (32-40) in the middle of the quarter. Virtus did not give up and continued to move the ball well, but the hot hands of Peters and especially Dorsey canceled out the comeback led by Edwards. The first half ends 41-50, the many points from the foul line (14 against the 3 for the Bianconeri) made the difference in favor of the Greeks.
comeback almost
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After the long break, Olympiacos grows in the rebound battle with Milutinov and runs away once again thanks to Fournier: the advantage of Bartzokas’ men rises to +20 (57-77) in the final stages of the third quarter. Ivanovic throws Morgan back into the fray, whose accelerations split the Greek defense in two and sound the charge for the comeback: the number 30 – as usual – lights up in an instant and seals the 18-3 run from the arc that brings Bologna back into contact (75-80) in the 33rd minute. Olympiacos seems to absorb the blow with Vezenkov, until Vildoza also comes forward. Two back-to-back triples from the Argentine, to which is added Niang’s open-field dunk: Olidata returns to a single possession deficit (88-90) with 2′ to go. Everything is decided in the last 30”, with the Greeks ahead by just one point (92-93). Dorsey eludes Pajola’s defense, creates space from the midfield and brings his team back to +3, but Diouf immediately responds with a two-man shot that brings the Bianconeri closer (94-95). Virtus is forced to send Peters to the line, who is glacial: 2/2 for him, Bologna only has 3” left to equalize. Alston takes the shot, but his attempt only finds the table. At the Virtus Arena the Vu Nere fell 94-97, narrowly missing a comeback that would have been sensational.
Virtus: Vildoza 17, Morgan 15, Edwards 14
Olympiacos: Dorsey 23, Fournier 21, Vezenkov 16
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