Withstood the counterattack of Virtus and Monaco made a four-point jump

He left with a great double from Bologna and its headquarters Virtuesdoing a quadruple jump h Monaco!

Saša Obradović’s team dominated the first half, escaping even with +16 (27-43), but saw the home team come back and claim the victory in equal measure, until the last seconds.

In the end, the visitors managed to withstand the Italian counterattack, taking the big win with 81-78improving their record to 16-10 and taking a very important step to finish in the top four of the regular season, which gives home advantage in the playoffs. Virtus has the same record (16-10), which leads in the tie after its 83-59 triumph in the first round game, but has a more difficult schedule ahead of it, until the regular season finale.

Top for the winners were Lloyd (24π) and James (21p, 6 rib), while Virtus stood out Belinelli (21 points with 5/9 three-pointers), Lundberg (15pts, 3 assists) and Sengelia (12 points, 4 assists).

The match

The match started with Monaco coming out on top, taking a 5-0 lead thanks to back-to-back points from Lloyd, while the hosts failed to score in the opening two minutes. Belinelli and Sengelia “broke the pomegranate” for the hosts, reducing the score to 4-5, while a little later Virtus took its first lead (10-9) thanks to a layup by Sengelia. However, it was Monaco who finished the quarter better, with James hitting 6 for 12-17, while Okobo made it 16-21 as the quarter ended.

At the beginning of the second period, the visitors led for the first time with a double-digit difference (16-26), with Lloyd reaching 10 personal points, while he hit another three-pointer, making it 19-29. With their defense “weaponized” and having good shooting percentages on the other side of the floor, Monaco even led by +16 (27-43), before Belinelli scored 8 consecutive points of his own, reducing the home team to 35 -45 in the first half.

As the second period ended, so began the third, with Belinelli scoring for three to make it 38-45. Monaco went three minutes without a basket, giving Virtus the right to get closer to 41-45, while the home team’s run reached 10-1, getting within “breathing distance” (45-46). However, the hosts were unable to take the lead, with James and Jaite keeping the Monegasques ahead (48-55), who entered the final period leading 60-54.

Monaco kept the small lead in their favor until the clock showed 6 minutes to the final, when Cordinier tied it at 66-66, while the home team took the lead after an hour thanks to a well-timed 3-pointer by Polonara (69-68). At that point in the match, Mike James took action again, scoring 6 straight points for 70-74, while the unlikely Belinelli reached 21, tying the game with a three-pointer at 74-74. Sengelia fouled out with five going into the game’s final stretch, James missed a 3-pointer with the score tied at 78-79 with 30 minutes left, and Lundberg missed two 3-pointers to tie the game. the chance to give victory to Virtus. In the end, it was Monaco who smiled, winning the final 81-78.

The quarters: 16-21, 35-45, 54-60, 78-81

The match statistics