Βy Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
After losing four consecutive EuroLeague games, Virtus Bologna got back on the winning side against ALBA Berlin, beating the German team 85-76.
Despite grabbing fewer rebounds than the opponents (31 vs 24), the home side counted on the contribution of its bigs. Mam Jaiteh and Ismael Bako combined for 23 of their team’s points.
Milos Teodosic created magic, ending the game with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists. A lot of his magical passes got wasted as well. Kyle Weems added 16 points, his EuroLeague season-high.
“It was extremely difficult to match their freshness but we did a good job on defense. Most of the time we got quite early leads. I’m very very happy about the win because our physical conditions are very bad. We are a very short roster in some specific positions, we have to keep fighting”, Sergio Scariolo said in the post-game press conference.
ALBA Berlin tried to reduce the gap between the third and fourth quarters with Christ Koumadje (11 p, 5 r) stepping up under the basket, but it wasn’t enough.
Luke Sikma added 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Jaleen Smith scored 14.
In his second game back in Italy after leaving Fortitudo Bologna in the summer, Gabriele Procida had 5 points in under 8 minutes on the court.
“They played better than us and they deserved the win. We showed spirit, but we need something else. To recover players and energy, but at least we have the right spirit”, Israel Gonzalez said after the game.
During the game, Jordan Mickey suffered a left shoulder contusion and he will be evaluated in the next few hours.
Sergio Scariolo didn’t have Semi Ojeleye, who will miss four weeks of action after suffering an injury on the road against Olympiacos, and Awudu Abass, who is recovering from a knee injury.
Israel Gonzalez didn’t have Marcus Eriksson, who is out indefinitely due to a leg injury. Koumadje, Procida, and Olinde came back after missing Round 12 due to illness.
This was a night of first times: the first-ever EuroLeague game played was in the Virtus Segafredo Arena, after that the black-and-white team started the Regular Season in PalaDozza and the first-ever EuroLeague matchup between the two teams.
While the Italian team broke its losing streak, the yellow-and-blue side can’t still find a victory. They haven’t won a EuroLeague game since October 19: from there, they are 0-10.
In Round 14, Virtus Bologna (5-8) will host Maccabi Tel Aviv (7-6), which won against Milan, while ALBA Berlin (3-10) will visit AS Monaco (9-4), which lost at home against Barcelona earlier in the day.
PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna