The Argentine guard came up big in the home straight to settle a pulsating matchup in Bologna
Luca Vildoza pickpockets Dubai as Virtus makes winning return to its arena
Informes de partidos
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 14 of 38
Regular Season
Virtus BolognaVIR
7978
Dubai BasketballDUB
Overview
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Luca Vildoza effectively played a cameo role for three quarters and then came up big in the home straight as Virtus Bologna eked out a 79-78 home win over EuroLeague newcomers Dubai Basketball, improving to 7-7 while the visitors dropped to 6-8 after a thrilling clash.
Vildoza sank a pair of pivotal three-pointers down the stretch, including the game-winning shot with 27 seconds left on the clock, before robbing Filip Petrusev on Dubai’s final possession to send the Virtus Arena crowd into raptures.
It was a happy homecoming for Virtus, which had played its home games to this point at the nearby PalaDozza venue while its iconic gym was being refurbished. On Friday night, the fans could not have asked for a more fitting return.
A rollercoaster from start to finish kept everyone on the edge of their seats as the lead kept changing hands time and again, as Virtus trailed 2-7 early on and then threw away a 26-13 lead as Dubai turned the first half on its head to take a 39-44 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Virtus caught up after the break as the pendulum swung one way and then the other before Vildoza sank a dagger into Dubai’s hearts, hitting nothing but net from long range before he made the crucial steal with only a few seconds remaining.
The player of the game accolade went to top scorer Carsen Edwards, who netted 17 of his 23 points in the first half for Virtus, in addition to racking up 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
“It was a big win for us. We kept chipping away as we stuck together after a couple of tough stretches,” the livewire guard said courtside. “We had some guys who stepped up and made big plays, and I’m just happy we got the win.”
Mobbed by his teammates after the heart-stopping matchup, Vildoza was simply delighted as he made his post-game comments after scoring 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown, as he chipped in with 5 assists and 4 steals. He was also overjoyed to get one over his former Olympiacos Piraeus teammate Petrusev, knocking the ball out of his hands in the dying moments to break Dubai’s hearts after the visitors had threatened to stage an upset.
“I am super happy as we fought a lot to get this win,” Vildoza said. “I know Filip as we played together for two years. That steal was a combination of luck and scouting, as I kind of guessed which way he was going to go. Step by step, I am feeling really good with the coaches and my teammates, I am showing up in every game and practice,” added the 30-year old Argentine, who joined Virtus from Olympiacos during the off-season.
Head coach Dusko Ivanovic was pleased with the performance after Virtus bounced back from a poor second quarter, as Derrick Alston netted 11 points and Matt Morgan added 10 for the home team, which had 11 steals and forced 13 turnovers from Dubai.
“We were ready for a tough game and only in the second quarter we played below par,” the Montenegrin tactician said. “The rest of the time we played good defense and patient offense as it’s so important that the players are confident and believe in each other,” he added.
Dubai head coach Jurica Golemac was in a sour mood after he saw victory slip away from his team’s grasp. “Congratulations to Virtus. If we had won it would have been deserved, too,” he said. “One missed rebound and one turnover brought the win to them.”
The visitors had five players in double figures, as Justin Anderson paced them on 16 points while Aleksa Avramovic and Kenan Kamenjas added 13 apiece, the latter also racking up 6 rebounds. Dubai won the battle of the boards 39-30, but ultimately it was all in vain as Virtus had the last laugh in a fascinating battle.
