The Italian side improved its road record to 3-3, having gone a dominant 7-1 at home.
Virtus's win in Vitoria-Gasteiz boosted its stock as a title contender
Article
4 Mins read
Coming into Thursday’s game against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Virtus Segafredo Bologna’s players were aware that winning at one of the hottest teams in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was not going to be an easy task.
After replacing Joan Penarroya with head coach Dusko Ivanovic earlier this season, Baskonia had won seven of its last eight duels under the Montenegrin tactician. Meanwhile, Virtus had lost all three of its previous road games, having grabbed just two victories from five encounters away from Bologna.
Virtus wanted a statement win – and then achieved it
Hence, the Italian side arrived at Buesa Arena looking for a statement win to prove to everyone that it should be considered a legitimate title contender after a strong start to the season. And that is exactly what Virtus did on Thursday night.
Luca Banchi’s men hit the ground running and outscored Baskonia 15-24 in the first quarter to send a message to Baskonia and somewhat silence the home crowd. Naturally, the hosts responded and managed to turn the game around in the second quarter, taking a narrow 43-42 lead into the second half. The game became a tight affair in the third quarter, but Virtus went on a 0-10 run down the stretch in the final quarter to come away with the victory.
“I believe that we played a very solid second half,” Banchi said in the flash interview after the game. “It’s not only the rebound battle, but also the way we executed for most of the game. A very important win to consolidate our position in the standings, but also our identity as a team. This is a tight tournament where every game, especially on the road, matters. That win means a lot for us.”
Some stellar performances on the night
Marco Belinelli had an outstanding display, scoring a career-high 27 points. Meanwhile, Tornike Shengelia produced a player-of-the-game performance, pairing his 16 points with 6 rebounds. He also dished 4 assists, had 1 block and drew 6 fouls. The icing on the cake was an impossible basket that he scored at the end of the second quarter to make it 38-39 for the guests.
“We have such experienced guys who can really lead the team, and tonight they’ve proved for another time that they can give everybody the right direction,” Banchi added. “But we need a team behind that. We need a squad. I believe that tonight we have to congratulate everyone, because everybody made a special effort to face such a good team like Baskonia in such a moment. [Belinelli and Shengelia] played as leaders, but everybody was able to follow [their lead].”
The two veterans scored 43 of their team’s 91 games but most importantly they netted 15 of Virtus’s 28 points in the fourth quarter, when the Italian side outscored Baskonia 21-28 to clinch the victory. In the post-game press conference, Banchi hailed Belinelli’s ability to step up and carry the team on his shoulders on Thursday night.
“It was our seventh game on the road between the Italian League and EuroLeague and we had six defeats,” the Italian play-caller said. “It was time to prove [that we can win away from Bologna]. When you have such that kind of leadership in the team, everything changes because everybody gets lots of confidence from [Belinelli’s] approach.”
With its win at Baskonia, Virtus has sent a message to the rest of the EuroLeague teams. Currently boasting a 10-4 record, the third-best record in the competition, the Italian side is continuing to make a lot of noise under Coach Banchi.
Not many would have predicted Virtus would make the EuroLeague Playoffs before the season, but as the campaign goes on, it looks like we could be looking at a potential Final Four team in the making.