Basketball, game-5 final scudetto: Virtus Bologna-Milan 84-78, series on 2-3

With the right tension, without ever collapsing in the key moments of the match: Bologna is there, wins 84-78 and goes down 2-3 in the series against Milan thus guaranteeing match-6, Saturday night at the Forum. Virtus deserved a success in the end, with an extraordinary Jaiteh (17 points and 13 rebounds with 100% shooting), despite some general decline in the last quarter that could cost dearly.

What a start

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The 42-37 of the long interval goes just fine in Milan, close to collapse after just 7 ‘. The scoreboard shows 21-8 for the dominant hosts especially with Jaiteh who neither Melli nor Datome manage to stem, Alibegovic fails the triple of the possible +16, in the end the first quarter ends on 25-12. All the Bolognese points are near the ring, so Milan understands that it is necessary to avoid the supplies below, while Rodriguez sets out on his own to nibble something. Olimpia’s 10-0 break with a triple from Hall brings -4 (28-24) in just 3 ‘of play. In short, Milan immediately returns even if it just fails to stem Jaiteh (17 points with 8/8 from 2 to 20 ‘, 1/2 in free throws and 9 rebounds). There is a bit of a fight between Grant and Weems, the unsportsmanlike for the two arrives but the worst is the Bolognese who touches the third foul. Like Melli (10 points), minus Shields (2 points with 0/5 in 14 ‘), while Segafredo actually chooses not to rely on the three-point shot (1/5, triple from Cordinier) and finds herself with a Belinelli comma in 13 ‘. And Shengelia? Just 4 points, it almost hides.

Photocopy

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The start of the second half seems like a photocopy of the very first seconds: easy baskets for Bologna, with Milan struggling especially in defense. Hackett scores four in a row, Cordinier scores +11 (50-39) after just two minutes. Messina stops the Juventus wave with a time-out. First it seems not to succeed (+13 Virtus arrives again with Shengelia who misses the free of the possible maximum advantage but risks losing Teodosic who exaggerates with the protests and goes very close to expulsion for having come in contact with Lanzarini), then the Olimpia (Bentil 4 fouls) with Rodriguez, Melli, Hines and Grant arrives at 57-54 at -2’46 ”from the end of the third fraction which will then close at 62-58 thanks to Belinelli’s first triple of the evening.

Last 10 ‘

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Grant places a sensational 4-point game that first makes his team equal at 62, then a mess by Pajola allows Hines to bring Milan forward for the first time in the evening: 62-64. It goes on point by point, the match is really intense. Rodriguez puts 5 in a row (70-72), Teodosic overtakes by 3 (73-72) exactly five minutes from the end, but a wonderful assist from Rodriguez for Hines means the new overtaking: 74-75 at -3’40 ” . The tension rises, a technician arrives again (this time to Melli), Hines signs the 80-77 with two turns of hands to go. Cordinier crushes (82-77), Grant misses from three, Teodosic loses the ball but Shengelia hits Shields (0/5 from 2 and 0/3 from 3). It’s not over, after another failed Bolognese attack, Shields still gets two free throws by being fouled, the fifth, by Shengelia: 1/2, 82-78, timeout at -24 “. Bologna does not do nonsense, ends 82-78. And on Saturday we return to the Milan Forum.

Bologna: Jaiteh 17. Shengelia 15, Belinelli 11

Milan: Melli 20, Rodriguez 18, Hines 15