The Italian, on the pitch with a noticeable bandage due to a blow to the head, was decisive in the final with a triple. The Georgian leads and with his and Cordinier’s free throws the Bolognese resist the return of the Germans
Round number 22 of the Euroleague brings great joy to Virtus, who beat Bayern 82-72: before tonight, only Panathinaikos had managed to emerge victorious from the Sap Garden this season. Leading Segafredo is the rediscovered Toko Shengelia, who with his 20 points relaunches the – perhaps belated – race of the Vu Nere towards the play-ins. But the symbol of the victory is Alessandro Pajola, who despite a hard blow remains on the pitch visibly bandaged and at the end hits the triple which gives his team the final impetus. The excellent Booker-Napier duo (35 points between them) and Edwards’ last-gasp attempts were not enough for the Germans, who suffered their fifth defeat in seven games.
VIRTUS SURPRISE
—
Ready to go and here the problems begin for Virtus: a couple of triples, to which is added Booker’s easy counterattack (11 points in the first quarter for him), sealed the 8-0 German run at the start. Segafredo tries to make space in the opponent’s area by relying on Shengelia, but Herbert’s defense is skilled both in containing the Georgian and in limiting the discharge trajectories, so much so that the first Juventus basket arrives after 3′. The situation also seems to worsen with the painful blow suffered by Paiola, which forces him to temporarily leave the field with a bleeding face. But this very episode triggers the nervous reaction of the Black Vu, who take advantage of a stop by the home team to catch them and even overtake them in the wake of the Morgan-Shengelia duo. In the meantime the pace drops on both sides, and the Germans seem to suffer the most, as they waste the arc and exceed in individual solutions. Napier puts a patch on it, but Virtus still ends the first half ahead 32-35 thanks to Belinelli’s triple at the end. The defense holds up, but it is the turnovers (10) that limit the Juventus’ momentum: too many to see in the first 20 minutes of the match.
THRILL EDWARDS
—
Upon returning from the locker rooms, Virtus immediately warmed up from the perimeter with Grazulis and also activated an offensive rebound, but the Germans remained in their wake, taking advantage of the carelessness of Ivanovic’s men in covering the cuts to the rim, a factor on which great attention had been paid in the first half of the match. In the last fraction, a good opportunity seems to arrive to consolidate the advantage from the hands of Pajola who, despite the obvious bandages, takes it and scores the triple of +12 (59-71). But right at the decisive moment, Edwards takes the stage, the most dangerous of his team, despite having seemed to be on the run for the entire evening. The US guard leads the 10-0 run which brings Bayern back to 2, but in the end Segafredo holds on thanks to providential free throws from Shengelia and Cordinier, who definitively close the issue: Virtus wins at the Sap Arena 72-82.
Bayern Munich: Booker 21, Napier 14, Giffey 11 Virtus
Bologna: Shengelia 20, Morgan 13, Cordinier 11
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED