Euroleague, Virtus Bologna beaten at home by Valencia, sixth defeat in a row

Late night for Virtus Bologna in Europe. Second defeat in a row for coach Nenad Jakovljevic and overall the sixth in a row in the Euroleague. And if the dreams of playing in the play-in were dashed a long time ago, now the ranking is bad with the Vu Nere stuck in 17th place out of 20 after the good start to the season. At the Fair, Valencia, fourth in the standings, wins 94-81, led by the surprising Reuvers, 33 points, which Edwards keeps up with with 26. As against Paris, the failure to react after slipping below in the score, without collapsing, is fatal. Showing early signs of tiredness that will have to prompt reflection, given the imminent arrival of Venezia in the championship.

Bologna-Valencia 81-94

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Virtus is not only called upon to support the relentless pace of the Spaniards, but also has to deal with Reuvers, a former Reggio Emilia winger, who scored 9 points with three triples (without errors), the guests’ favorite weapon. It is not surprising that they are the ones who make the first break (14-20), mended by an equally constant and positive Carsen Edwards. His verve pushes the whole team to live the best moment, which in the second period leads to a 7-point advantage (37-30) when Niang and Vildoza also light up. The defense was decisive, remaining unbeaten for over two minutes. Unbeaten run interrupted only because Reuvers goes back into phenomenon mode. The joke, if anything, is Costello’s triple on the half-time siren that puts Valencia back ahead.

Missed reaction

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At the beginning of the third period Reuvers scores the fifth triple without errors, but Edwards is not far behind and also brings a breath of fresh air to the cause. The Black Vu finally broke free from afar, but began to creak in defence. Uncertainties in which the Spaniards creep in like a river in flood, reaching a double-digit lead with the talented De Larrea, capable of splitting the score (59-69), with 2 minutes left until the third siren. A bad moment for Bologna, who struggle in both halves of the pitch and cannot count on Edwards, sitting on the bench. A hard blow, but certainly not fatal, yet it was enough to never reverse course. So while Virtus shows signs of tiredness, De Larrea and Reuvers continue to find each other. Until the classic rain in the wet: Vildoza who shortens with a triple and then goes out in pain. De Larrea follows him later due to a bad knee. However, nothing changes in the plot. Indeed, two triples in sequence from Puerto and Montero signal an early end, at -16 (74-90) in the 37th minute.

Bologna: Edwards 26, Niang 12, Alston 10

Valencia: Reuvers 33, Badio 15, Montero 11