Euroleague, Niang phenomenon: Virtus Bologna also wins in Dubai

Niang is a phenomenon in Dubai and Virtus Bologna regains victory in the Euroleague, 80-72, even away from home where they had only collected 3 successes so far, the last one a month ago. Impressive numbers for the big blue player, one of the best performances ever: 17 points with 17 rebounds of which 7 offensive and 35 of evaluation. Behind him, Edwards with 21 points. The Virtus defense was fundamental, a constant throughout the match and an exception for its compactness, as evidenced by McKinley Wright’s 6 final points, while Avramovic (17 points), the heart of the opponents’ comeback, lit up late. Coach Ivanovic’s team thus brings their seasonal haul back into balance (11 victories and the same number of defeats) and lands a heavy blow for the play-in race, putting Dubai behind them, which had also been overtaken in the first leg (here is the ranking).

Dubai-Virtus 72-80

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The back-and-forth between Bacon and Edwards seems like the poster child for the match, but instead the score soon changes. Having done the math, at half-time, it was the defenses that prevailed, with Virtus’s team conceding 14 points to Dubai in the second quarter, the best fuel to gain a +5 lead (27-32) after 14 minutes and close the first half ahead. It’s true that the good Carsen Edwards scores 11 points in half the game, but the absolute protagonist is Saliou Niang, author of 13 points in 15 minutes on the pitch, coming close to a double double already in the first two quarters with 8 rebounds out of the team’s 21 total. In the first quarter he and Diouf are essential in both halves of the pitch to come back from the initial break in which the former Venezia Kabengele also shows up (12-4) then, once connected, it is really hard for Dubai to score and the two teams almost always go hand in hand. Thanks to a very high level defense, which scores McKinley Wright (2 points at halftime) and co.

fiery finale

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Upon returning to the pitch, Edwards continues to sow panic in the area, helped by Diouf and the revived Alston (stopped by early fouls). The three create a 9-2 break valid for the coveted double-digit lead (39-50, +11) after 26 minutes. Dubai’s bleeding was only stopped by a foul by Jallow who conceded three free throws to Avramovic. It is the first crack in the Virtussi score, not so much due to the demerits of a defense that remains difficult to scratch, but because the hands of the attackers are getting cold. And then the locals took advantage of it to halve the deficit, gaining confidence with baskets from Avramovic and Bertans. A blaze intense enough to turn into a fire, so Ivanovic chooses Hackett to act as a fireman. A palliative, because if his arrival on the pitch brings 5 ​​points before the fourth quarter, Avramovic scores 7 more in a row to equalize at 60-60 with 7 minutes to go. More than the score, what is worrying is the fact that all the trust has passed into Dubai’s hands, as evidenced by Anderson’s long-range basket which earned the first lead after an eternity, 65-63, to close a 12-3 break. There would be space for the fatal shot, but Dubai never gets it on target and it is precisely the opponents’ hesitation that allows Bologna to regroup with great clarity and return an 8-0 break with Pajola and Alston at the center of the scene, while Niang captures his seventh rebound for a new +6 (67-73) with 2’42” to go. The usual defensive solidity, then, does not betray in the key moment. And not even Edwards who scores the baskets of the final credits, helped by blocks and rebounds from Niang.

Dubai: Avramovic 17, Bacon 16, Bertans 9

Virtus Bologna: Edwards 21, Niang 17, Alston Jr 12