Euroleague, Virtus-Alba 87-76: Shengelia shines

A perfect defense and a Shengelia in MVP format give Virtus their first home victory in this Euroleague. In front of the four thousand meters of the PalaDozza, Banchi’s team replicated the good they showed against Monaco by dominating Spagnolo’s Alba Berlin (his performance was excellent) and Procida. Bologna immediately put the match on the back foot with an exceptional first half, but it was the Georgian’s third quarter that sealed the match by repelling the Germans’ comeback attempt: 26 points with 9/11 from the field.

Virtus-Alba Berlin 87-76

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Virtus starts with their foot on the accelerator right from the tap-off: Belinelli finds seven points at the start, Shengelia makes herself felt on the rebound, Alba Berlin runs idle in defense and finds no speed in attack. The hosts keep the pace very high, building excellent shots, and defend to perfection, preventing the Germans from running in the open field. The entrances of Dobric and Smith also open fire from three points, and Mickey’s block on Procida is the snapshot of a dominated first quarter that ended 27-11. When the offensive percentages drop, it is the defense that takes center stage: Banchi’s team forces Alba into 4 violations of the shot clock and 12 turnovers in the first half alone (there will be 17 at the end), which ends at 44- 26 for Virtus.

Shengelia takes care of it

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Gonzalez’s team leaves the locker room with a different spirit, the shots begin to come in and an 18-9 run in the first five minutes forces Banchi to time out. The triples from Olinde and Thiemann responded with a sumptuous Shengelia, who took Virtus by the hand: the Georgian scored 12 points in the third quarter alone, unstoppable in the post and intelligent in his cuts. Bologna resisted the Germans’ comeback attempt and maintained their 16-point lead thanks to Lundberg’s triple three seconds before the siren. In the last quarter, Matteo Spagnolo’s personal show begins, the last to give up in Alba Berlin: the Italian born in 2003 brings his team back to ten points thanks to 15 points, but Jordan Mickey takes the lead and keeps Virtus at a distance safety. In the last two minutes, however, the hosts let their guard down and the Germans get within eight, but triples from Hackett and Cordinier make PalaDozza explode: second consecutive victory and Virtus preparing to welcome Teodosic’s Red Star.

Virtus Bo: Shengelia 26, Mickey 15, Belinelli 12

Sunrise: Brown 17, Spagnolo 15, Thiemann 13