Virtus Segafredo center Mam Jaiteh had an impressive performance on Wednesday against Lietkabelis Panevezys in the first do-or-die game for his team in the 7DAYS EuroCup.

Jaiteh’s great shooting keyed Virtus

The French center finished the game as his team’s top scorer, posting 20 points with 9-of-10 two-point shooting. He started by hitting his first 6 field goals; his only miss came late in the third quarter when Virtus was leading 50-39.

This was not the first time Jaiteh displayed such good “marksmanship.” He was perfect against Frutti Extra Bursaspor (9 for 9) in Round 10 and shot 8 for 9 against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in Round 12. Overall, Jaiteh averaged a very strong 68.9% from two in the regular season, which made him one of the most reliable scorers in the competition.


Jaiteh was nearly perfect for Virtus in the eighthfinals 

“These games are very special, do-or-die, I think we did our best to be very strong and very serious”, Jaiteh said after the game. “It was not easy and I’m very proud of my team. It’s one step, there's a lot more to go and hopefully we can reach our goal.”

Mam Jaiteh - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Lietkabelis Panevezys (2022-04-20T18:45:00.000Z)

Frutti Extra Bursaspor looked down and out in the final seconds of regulation, but the long-range shooting that served it so well the entire night came through once again and sent the team into the EuroCup Quarterfinals where it will face Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.

Bursaspor shot its best when needed most

Bursaspor's outside shooting made the big difference in its 95-103 overtime upset win over Partizan NIS Belgrade. The visitors made just 2 more triples than the hosts, but on 52.0% shooting (13 for 25), compared to Partizan making 11 three-pointers, but needing 36 attempts.

Four of those shots came in the final minute of regulation and in overtime.
Derek Needham hit a tough three with 60 seconds to go to close the gap to 79-77. 

The most important three-point shot was the one from John Holland, who made an off-balance three with 7.1 seconds to go in regulation that tied the game at 84-84 and send it into overtime.


Bursaspor made clutch threes to KO Partizan

Two more threes Bursaspor knocked down in a span of 40 seconds in overtime, first by Andrew Andrews, who was 2 of 5 on the night, and then a corner dagger from Holland who finished the night 4 for 5 from downtown.

Bursaspor hit more than 13 triples only twice this season and its 52.0% accuracy set its new season-high. And it came at the most perfect time, shocking Partizan and a packed Stark Arena in the Serbian capital.


Dusan Alimpijevic - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Dragana Stjepanovic - Partizan) - EC21-EF

Partizan NIS Belgrade v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2022-04-20T18:30:00.000Z)

Coach Porfi Fisac’s men were superior in pretty much every department, and one of those was definitely the physical battle inside the paint. 

 

Gran Canaria won the rebounding tussle 30-17 in the first half, which also saw the home team put 42 points on the board by converting 11 of 19 two-point attempts (57.9%) while restricting Slask to just 4 of its 20 shots inside the arc (20%).

Telling numbers: Inside dominance propelled Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria v Slask Wroclaw (2022-04-20T19:00:00.000Z)

Artem Pustovyi - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) - EC21-EF

First of all, the home team outshot Reyer from all distances; Metropolitans made 23 of 48 two-pointers (47.9%), 7 of 16 threes (43.8%) and 20 of 23 free throws (87.0%). In contrast, Reyer knocked down 12 of 28 two-pointers (42.9%), 13 of 32 threes (40.6%) and 3 of 6 foul shots (50%). Even though Reyer made more threes, Metropolitans had many more shots.

Among the reasons Metropolitans shot more were turnovers. Reyer was forced into 16 turnovers and Metropolitans committed just 9. And Metropolitans scored 21 points off those Reyer turnovers, while Reyer netted just 8 points from Metropolitans’ turnovers.

 

Metropolitans also dominated on the glass, outrebounding Reyer 41-29. Its 12 offensive rebounds were double the number Reyer had. What’s more, Metropolitans had 22 second-chance points compared to 5 for Reyer.

All of that was too much for Reyer, which was without Austin Daye and lost point guard Jordan Theodore to an injury suffered in warmups. Add to that starting center Mitchell Watt fouling out in the third quarter and it’s easier to understand how Metropolitans made it look easy.

Boulogne Metropolitans 92 overpowered short-handed Umana Reyer Venice 87-66 on Wednesday and the numbers shined a light on the many reasons why.

Telling numbers: Metropolitans outshot and outrebounded Reyer

Boulogne Metropolitans 92 v Umana Reyer Venice (2022-04-20T18:00:00.000Z)

Tomer Ginat - Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (photo Olivier dAlmeida - Metropolitans) - EC21-EF

Even though Lietkabelis Panevezys lived up to its reputation as one of the best shooting teams in the competition by making 11 three-pointers from 24 attempts (45.8%), it proved not enough to surprise Segafredo Virtus Bologna at its home court. One of the reasons was the 22 turnovers the Italian champs forced and the home team turned them into 14 steals.

As such, Virtus outscored Lietkabelis 8-2 in fastbreak points, also signing off on 27 second-chance points against its opponent’s 16. Another proof of Virtus’s better care for the ball was its 22 assists with Tornike Shengelia leading the way with a career-high of 8 and seven more players dishing at least 1.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna took advantage of its opponent’s 22 turnovers to earn a ticket to the quarterfinals, 75-67.

Telling numbers: Virtus exploited Lietkabelis’s turnovers

Tornike Shengelia - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-EF

Two segments of the game played a big part in Bursaspor's win. The first one was long-range shooting; the team made 13 of 25 threes, compared to Partizan sinking 11 of 36. 

 

The other one was rebounding. Even though Bursaspor was slightly outrebounded 47-45, and allowed 18 offensive rebounds compared to just 9 it pulled down, it was the rebounding after the first quarter that kept giving Bursaspor a chance.

Partizan pulled down an astounding 9 offensive rebounds in the first quarter, 5 of which came from Balsa Koprivica. Bursaspor had no offensive rebounds in the first 10 minutes. Partizan also had a 16-7 rebounding edged at that point.

 

After the first quarter, however, Bursaspor was the team that won on the glass – 31-38 - and the two teams pulled down an equal amount of offensive rebounds from that point on.

Frutti Extra Bursaspor came up with an improbable rally in the final seconds of regulation before stunning Partizan NIS Belgrade in overtime 95-103 on Wednesday night.

Telling numbers: Bursaspor rebounded well late

Onuralp Bitim - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Dragana Stjepanovic - Partizan) - EC21-EF

Valencia outrebounded Hamburg 38-23 including grabbing more rebounds on Hamburg’s defensive glass - 16 to 12. That led to Valencia scoring 26 second-chance points to 8 for Hamburg.

Valencia’s domination under the boards was to be expected as the club was the EuroCup’s leading rebounding team while also collecting the most offensive rebounds at 13.2 per game. Hamburg’s defense ranked 18th in rebounds and was overmatched with Valencia’s depth of big men.

Valencia Basket used one of its biggest strengths to overwhelm Hamburg Towers as it grabbed 16 offensive rebounds in rolling to a 98-80 home victory.

Telling numbers: Offensive rebound dominance carried Valencia to victory

Valencia Basket v Hamburg Towers (2022-04-20T18:30:00.000Z)

Mike Tobey - Valencia Basket (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) - EC21-EF

The home side raced into an 11-0 lead and that set the tone for the rest of the encounter, with Slask rarely looking like competing for a shock road win. The difference reached 22 points, 42-20, shortly before halftime after a 19-2 run, and Gran Canaria’s big lead was never really threatened after the break. Nico Brussino led the way with 15 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting plus 8 rebounds, AJ Slaughter and Andrew Albicy both scored 11 and Artem Pustovyi added 10 points in the victory. Slask’s Kerem Kanter topped all scorers with 16 points and Travis Trice added 13. Gran Canaria will now face MoraBanc Andorra at home next week in the quarterfinals.

Gran Canaria started on fire from deep with Brussino scoring twice and Albicy sinking another three. Artem Pustovyi added an inside basket and Slask didn’t score for more than 3 minutes until Kanter sank a long two and Martins Meiers was also on target. Slaughter kept Granca comfortable before a driving layup-and-one from Brussino followed by a Pustovyi dunk stretched the lead to 18-6. Ennis added a three-pointer before a series of free throws and a Kanter three-pointer briefly pulled Slask closer. But Ennis followed a triple with a dunk and Slaughter beat the first-quarter buzzer to make it 25-18.

 

Khalifa Diop and Aleksander Balcerowski scored close to the basket for another double-digit lead, 29-18, and Slaughter also netted inside as the hosts continued to dominate. Miquel Salvo hit another triple to make it 34-18 before a layup from Salvo and a triple from Albicy stretched it to 39-20. Slask couldn’t get anything going and Pustovyi exploded an alley-oop slam for a 42-20 lead after a 19-2 run. Trice ended a run of 6 minutes without scoring for the visiting team from long-range and he added free throws to make the scoreline a little more respectable, 42-27, at halftime.

Albicy started the second half with a three-pointer and Pustovyi emphasized Gran Canaria’s dominance with a pair of inside scores for a 49-27 lead. Slask failed to score for nearly 4 minutes at the start of the third quarter before Jakub Karolak made a three-pointer, Trice added a pair of mid-range jumpers and Karolak again hit from deep to make it 52-37 after a 1-10 run. Oliver Stevic’s inside basket settled the hosts, and Brussino added his third triple to make it 57-37. A pair of inside scores from Kanter and another Karolak three gave Slask hope, but Brussino again hit from deep and Albicy banked in a layup to make it 64-51 after three quarters.

 

Balcerowski dunked the final quarter’s first basket and Salvo’s three-pointer extended the lead to 69-53. Kodi Justice and Slaughter traded triples before a period of play mainly containing free throws saw the lead stretch to 20 points, 78-58, with 5 minutes remaining. Ennis and Khalifa Diop combined for a showtime basket apiece as Slask’s challenge lost energy, before Ilimane Diop and Javi Lopez added three-pointers for their first scores of the night as the hosts cruised home. 

Gran Canaria cruised past Slask Wroclaw 87-60 to advance with ease to the quarterfinals. 

Gran Canaria cruises past Slask, 87-60

Nicolas Brussino - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) - EC21-EF

Despite enjoying a 14-point advantage early in the third quarter, the hosts had to use a strong defensive display in the fourth, in which the visitors were held to just 10 points in the opening 9 minutes, to confirm the win. Mam Jaiteh led the way for the winners with 20 points in just 21 minutes on 9-of-10 shooting from the field. Kyle Weems had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals and Jakarr Sampson contributed 11 points. Gediminas Orelik and Nikola Radicevic were Lietkabelis’s top scorers with 12 apiece.

Lietkabelis used the three-point line as its main weapon in the early going with Orelik and Kristupas Zemaitis burying back-to-back triples that boosted the visitors to a 2-8 advantage. The hosts reacted in style with a 14-0 run in which Weems had 6 points to turn the tables and go ahead 16-8 after 5 minutes. The trend was interrupted by a timeout and so was Virtus’s scoring. Sampson was the only Virtus man able to score from then on, while Orelik and Vytenis Lipkevicius chained together a couple of threes, the last one from three-quarters court on the first-quarter buzzer to make it 18-14.

 

Sampson brought the home team back to the scoring ways by providing 5 points in a row right after the game resumed. Kevin Hervey joined in and Marco Belinelli added 3 free throws to build a double-digit lead, 28-18, soon after. Lietkabelis did not give up, though, as Zemaitis, Djordje Gagic, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis and Orelik combined in a 2-10 run that brought the visitors within 30-28. A three-point play by Jaiteh and a strong dun by Weems kept Virtus in charge, 36-30, and it was 39-34 at the break.

Virtus started at full throttle after the break, as Daniel Hackett opened fire with a three and then Jaiteh and Tornike Shengelia combined to cap a 9-0 run and expand the margin to 48-34. Dovydas Giedraitis stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer, but that ended up as the only field goal made by Lietkabelis in the first 5 minutes. Free throws by Nikola Radicevic and a layup by Kalaitzakis were enough for Virtus to stop the game at 50-41. Gabrielius Maldunas and Radicevic came up big and reduced the margin to 52-50. Lietkabelis couldn’t go further because Hervey contributed a three-point play and Belinelli scored from the line to sustain a 56-52 edge for Virtus entering the last stanza.

 

Lipkevicius made it 56-55 with a corner three, but Belinelli showed up with consecutive buckets to keep Virtus’s lead safe. Sampson added another to extend it to 62-56 with 6 minutes to go and, even though Orelik made his fourth triple of the night, the visitors went through a 2-minute scoring drought that allowed Virtus to escape to 68-59 when Weems capped a 6-0 spurt with a corner three. Lietkabelis tried to get closer from the line, but it proved too short when Jaiteh dunked for a 71-62 lead entering crunch time. Radicevic tried to keep the visitors’ chances alive, but Hackett followed with a couple of free throws and Jaiteh scored inside to secure the outcome.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna defeated visiting Lietkabelis Panevezys 75-67 on Wednesday night and will face ratiopharm Ulm in the quarterfinals. 

Virtus holds off Lietkabelis, 75-67

Kyle Weems - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-EF