The Italian side remains perfect at home after a Round 4 win over Monaco
Carsen Edwards inspires Virtus to another big night at the PalaDozza
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 4 of 38
Regular Season
Virtus BolognaVIR
7773
AS MonacoASM
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There was plenty of excitement when Virtus Bologna announced the signing of Carsen Edwards this past summer. The 27-year-old, coming off a career-best season with FC Bayern Munich, was seen as the centerpiece of Vu Nere’s new project. But through the first three rounds of the EuroLeague season, Edwards found himself under the microscope.
That changed on Wednesday night.
The former Boston Celtic delivered his breakout performance in a Virtus jersey, leading his team to a 77-73 win over AS Monaco. It marked the Italian side’s second straight home victory, following their Round 1 triumph over Real Madrid (74-68).
Back-to-back road losses in Rounds 2 and 3 had cooled some of the early buzz around Dusko Ivanovic’s squad, with criticism falling on Edwards among others. But in Round 4, he set the tone from the tip at the PalaDozza, scoring 8 points in the opening quarter – matching the 8 from Nikola Mirotic, who received some boos following his two years with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.
Edwards added another 8 across the second and third quarters, then dropped 8 more in the final frame to finish with 24 – his highest-scoring game for Virtus and his best since the final day of the 2024-25 regular season with Bayern.
“How are you and I going to talk about the best player that we have?” said Luca Vildoza afterward, when asked about Edwards. “I’m just proud. I like playing with him. I hope he continues that way. He showed last year the way he can hoop, the kind of player he is, so I’m just really happy being next to him.”
It was a standout night for both Edwards and Virtus, though things nearly unraveled at the end. After a driving layup from Edwards pushed the lead to 74–62 with just under three minutes remaining, Monaco responded with an 8–0 run that quieted the PalaDozza. Edwards stepped up again, drawing a foul from Alpha Diallo and calmly sinking both free throws to restore a two-possession cushion with 67 seconds left.
Virtus did just enough to hold on and even its record at 2–2 on the season.
“It was important for us to build good habits and put ourselves in a good position in this game, especially at home. It was good for us,” Edwards told EuroLeague TV in his post-game interview.
Those habits will face another test on Friday night, when Edwards and Virtus go on the road to face LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, looking to string together consecutive wins for the first time this season.
Monaco, on the other hand, will look to get back on track when it hosts Valencia Basket, also on Friday night.
