Euroleague. Virtus Bologna-Vitoria 88-83 – La Gazzetta dello Sport

Solidity is a necessary element in a grueling competition like the Euroleague. Virtus is doing everything possible to get into the top eight. And this solid victory with Vitoria is yet another proof of that. A tough game, with many ups and downs, and a few days after the disappointment of the final lost in the Italian Cup. And still in the middle of the so-called window for the national teams with coach Sergio Scariolo traveling between Spain and Italy, and Toko Shengelia between Holland, Italy and Georgia.

The return

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In front of Antoine Rigaudeau, the French point guard who signed game 5 with 18 points against Vitoria, which gave Virtus the 2001 Euroleague, the team from Bologna conquered a victory that kept them close to the goal and with many protagonists. But one in particular for the story that precedes it. Awudu Abass returned to the Euroleague 5 years after his last match with Milan. For a season and a half, he was out with two knee injuries. He has recently returned. And yesterday he returned to being a real player, sticking to Marcus Howard, the Basque’s best scorer. And also bringing those points in attack that he has always provided since the days of Cantù and Brescia. “Abi is a special boy – says Scariolo – he has an out of the ordinary determination, he has a non-trivial fire inside”. Alongside him everyone, or almost everyone, contributed. After an excellent start to the season, Vitoria, lose their 7th game in their last 9 and are now sucked into the group fighting for a playoff spot. Even the game is a long struggle from the beginning when a blackout turns off the lights of the sports hall of the Fair and also the rolling start of Virtus. After almost 10 minutes of darkness, the game resumes and the pace of the match takes on an ups and downs.

Beli

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From the initial 9-0, Bologna goes astray with 7 turnovers in the first 7 minutes, which make Vitoria run on the field and in the score with the former Cremona player Daulton Hommes hitting from three and Rokas Giedraitis everywhere. Having raised the level of defense, it is the usual Marco Belinelli who takes charge of the attack in Bologna. A second quarter of 28 points scored allows Virtus to regain a few points of advantage always between ups and downs, accelerations and braking. And the acceleration of Virtus in the third quarter, +8 in the halfway point, follows that of Vitoria where he enters the game with three consecutive triples by Marcus Howard, the team’s best scorer, long out for fouls. The blaze of the last quarter is lit by Abass, with a triple and a splendid block on Kotsar, center of 209 centimeters. Virtus returns to +9, a substantial margin in a game of great balance. But that’s not all: Giedraitis scores a basket three times to which he adds a free throw having been fouled. And it’s Teodosic’s moment: first a triple, then three out of three free throws earned with wisdom for +8 with one minute and 25 to go. And again the free throws on Vitoria’s fouls to attempt a recovery. “We aim for the playoffs, but I don’t want to deceive anyone – says Scariolo – We are not on paper among the top eight of the Euroleague, getting there would be a dream”.