Virtus Segafredo Bologna bench players accounted for 45 of team's points in a 72-83 road win over Umana Reyer Venice.

Virtus's bench depth is looking formidable

Mam Jaiteh dominated inside, scoring 24 points, but the starting center's performance was backed up by an effort from the reserves that shows why Virtus looms as a formidable foe going into the 7DAYS EuroCup's stretch run.

With Marco Belinelli exiting the game with a leg injury after less than 2 minutes in the first quarter, it was up to some others to step up – and several players did just that.

Jakarr Sampson, Isaïa Cordinier and 2 others Highlights vs. Umana Reyer Venice, 03/09/2022

Jakarr Sampson Isaïa Cordinier and 2 others Highlights vs Umana Reyer Venice

Daniel Hackett, in his first game with Virtus, set the tone with 6 first-quarter points as soon as he entered the game, while Isaia Cordinier played 28 minutes to finish with 10 points.

Amar Alibegovic collected 9 points and 6 rebounds while Jakkar Sampson played 11 minutes, but took 5 shots in that time, scoring 7 points. His output included a basket-and-one to answer Jordan Theodore's triple in the fourth quarter.

"I am pleased with the performance of a few players coming off the bench," Virtus head coach Sergio Scariolo commented after the game, citing the plus-minus ratings of Sampson (+11), Cordinier (+13) and Alibegovic (+18). "It was extremely important on a night when some players were not performing so well and we had Marco out so early."

Another reserve that Scariolo did not mention was Milos Teodosic, who shined once again with 11 points while dishing 13 assists. The bench ended up outscoring the starters 48-34 and got Virtus back onto a winning track heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

Amar Alibegovic - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) - EC21

Umana Reyer Venice v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2022-03-09T19:00:00.000Z)

Dylan Ennis - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) 

Calvin Harris JR - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg)

Moussa Diagne - MoraBanc Andorra (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra)

Marko Radovanovic - Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita)

Kristupas Zemaitis - Lietkabelis Panevezys (photo Karolio Kavolelio - Lietkabelis) 

Eddy Edigin - Hamburg Towers (photo Olivier d'Almeida - Metropolitans) 

Karim Jallow - ratiopharm Ulm (photo Kostas Petsas - Patras) 

Jakarr Sampson - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) 

Travis Trice - Slask Wroclaw (photo Wojciech Cebula - Slask)

Joel Parra - Joventut Badalona (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra)

Look back at all the action in the Regular Season Round 14  by checking out the best photos of the week!

EuroCup, The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 14

Moussa Diagne - MoraBanc Andorra (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra) - EC21

Calvin Harris JR - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) - EC21

Dylan Ennis - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) - EC21

Marko Radovanovic - Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21

Kristupas Zemaitis - Lietkabelis Panevezys (photo Karolio Kavolelio - Lietkabelis) EC21

Eddy Edigin - Hamburg Towers (photo Olivier dAlmeida - Metropolitans) - EC21

Karim Jallow - ratiopharm Ulm (photo Kostas Petsas - Patras) - EC21

Jakarr Sampson - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) - EC21

Travis Trice - Slask Wroclaw (photo Wojciech Cebula - Slask) - EC21

Joel Parra - Joventut Badalona (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra) - EC21

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana completed a perfect week by gaining its second home win in three days with a 98-84 demolition of Promitheas Patras on Thursday, and outstanding shooting from all areas played a big part in the victory.

Telling numbers: Cedevita powered by excellent shooting

The home team made 25 of its 38 two-point attempts (65.8%) with a particularly strong contribution from Zach Auguste, who made all 8 of his shots from close to the basket. Cedevita’s numbers from deep were also good, converting 10-of-23 (43.5%) beyond the arc as four different players hit multiple triples: Jacob Pullen, Jaka Blazic, Zoran Dragic and Yogi Ferrell.

Post-game quotes: Cedevita vs. Promitheas

### Jurica Golemac, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana head coach: 

“We need to be happy to beat a team like Promitheas. In the third quarter, we really started to play defense, and we need to play all the game like that. We managed to control the game and win in the end. We move on... Congratulations to the players and the fans. We started slow, we had problems with defensive rebounds in the first half, but we got much better physically in the second half and managed to keep the game safe.”

### Ilias Zouros, Promitheas Patras head coach: 

“Congratulations to Cedevita Olimpija, they deserved to win. They played much better, they have a very good team and an excellent coach. It was normal after our performance today to lose this game, but at the same time, I have to say congratulations to my players because unfortunately, we had a very small rotation today. All the players tried to give their best. Even though we played not good, we tried hard until the end of the game. We have to continue, be focussed on our next game, and wish all the best to Cedevita.”

 

### Zach Auguste, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana center: 

“I think it’s a great testament that we’ve locked in, we’ve focused in more. We’re really determined to get better in the second half of the season and try to make a playoff run and try to get to the finals.”

Jurica Golemac - Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana gained its fourth straight win by leading from start to finish and downing Promitheas Patras 98-84 in a make-up game from Round 9 on Thursday night. 

Cedevita blasts Promitheas in Thursday's make-up game

Cedevita raced into a double-digit lead in the first quarter and protected its advantage to lead 48-43 at the break. A 17-0 run early in the third quarter gave Cedevita total control and it was never close after that. Jacob Pullen led five Cedevita players in double digits with 22 points, while Zach Auguste netted 19 on 8-of-8 two-point shooting. Yogi Ferrell scored 16, Jaka Blazic added 14 and Zoran Dragic had 10 points in victory. Jerai Grant and Dimitris Agravanis both paired 18 points with 8 rebounds for Promitheas. Abdul Gaddy scored 14 and Kendrick Ray 10. Cedevita improved to 7-7 while Promitheas remained bottom of Group B at 4-10.

Blazic and Dragic scored inside to get Cedevita ahead, before Gaddy got Promitheas on the scoreboard and Ray drove to the hoop to tie it up, 6-6. A dunk from Blazic and 4 points from Ferrell got the hosts back ahead, 12-8, midway through the first, before Dragic hit the game’s first three-pointer. Inside scores from Agravanis and Ray pulled Promitheas closer, but Blazic struck from deep, Pullen added a transition layup and Auguste added a three-point play to make it 27-15 after 10 minutes.

 

Agravanis scored 4 points early in the second quarter, but Pullen bettered that with 5 for a 32-19 lead. Jerai Grant got hot with 8 points in less than 2 minutes, but a triple from Alen Hodzic maintained a double-digit distance, 37-27. Agravanis struck Promitheas’s first three-pointer, only for Pullen to answer with a trio of free throws and a step-back jumper for a 42-30 lead. Blazic and Marko Radovanovic kept Cedevita’s offense rolling, but Gaddy followed a triple with a jumper and then free throws, making it 48-43 at the break.

Grant and Alen Omic traded inside blows to start the second half, before free throws and a three-pointer from Blazic gave the hosts a 57-45 lead. Ferrell scored 5 fast points and Dragic hit a triple for a 65-45 advantage after a 17-0 run, which was finally ended by a layup-and-one from Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos. Ferrell and Rogkavopoulos were both on target from distance and a pair of big alley-oops between Pullen and Auguste extended the lead even further, before Pullen’s triple and a truly wild turnaround jumper from Auguste to beat the buzzer made it 84-58 at the end of the third.

 

Trevis Simpson made a three-pointer to spark a 0-7 run for Promitheas at the start of the fourth. Gaddy’s three-pointer and Agravanis’s inside score maintained the visitors’ offensive improvement, but Auguste scored three more inside baskets and Pullen added his third three-pointer to stretch the margin to 96-72 with 4 minutes remaining. Mihaljo Andric and Nikolaos Vasileiou netted from deep for Promitheas, while Blaz Habot scored his first points in the competition as Cedevita cruised home.

Jacob Pullen 2- Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21

[Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Promitheas Patras](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana-promitheas-patras/U2021/90/)

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana will look to build on the momentum of its three consecutive wins when it hosts Promitheas Patras in a rescheduled Round 9 game on Thursday, which is their first meeting this season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🟢🟠 IT&#39;S GAMEDAY 🟠⚫<a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKCedOL</a> 🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/promitheaspatras?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#promitheaspatras</a><br>🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroCup</a> <br>🕣 21:45<br>📺 <a href="https://t.co/y1hATPkrxJ">https://t.co/y1hATPkrxJ</a> 5<br>📻 <a href="https://twitter.com/skaipatras?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@skaipatras</a> <br>Powered by: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/medfrigo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#medfrigo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/promitheasbc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#promitheasbc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ourpowerfulfamily?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ourpowerfulfamily</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSEuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSEuroCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/eA848u1vSL">pic.twitter.com/eA848u1vSL</a></p>&mdash; Promitheas Patras BC (@promitheasbc) <a href="https://twitter.com/promitheasbc/status/1501839756417814532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Game night: Cedevita hosts Promitheas in makeup game

Kendrick Ray - Promitheas Patras (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21

When Pustovyi collected his first EuroCup double-double in Gran Canaria's 87-81 home win against Bursaspor on Wednesday, it marked the second time that the 29-year-old big man has shined against the Turkish club.

Pustovyi collected 18 points, 10 rebounds and 1 steal to not only register his first double-double in the competition but also set a career high with a performance index rating of 28. The 29-year-old carried Gran Canaria over stretches of the game, scoring 10 of his team's 11 points in a second-quarter span. He also picked up a big pair of baskets in his team's decisive 18-5 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. And he knocked down 2 of 2 free throws with 102 seconds left in the game to essentially secure the win.

It was the second time Pustovyi was downright dominant against Bursaspor. In Round 5 –  the first time he came off the bench this season after having started the first four contests –  the big man made 9 of 11 shots en route to a career-high 20 points. He also grabbed 7 rebounds in that game for a PIR of 24. 

In his first EuroCup game since the start of hostilities in his country, the Kyiv-born center could easily have been distracted from playing well, but he did just the opposite.

Artem Pustovyi 18 points Highlights vs Frutti Extra Bursaspor

Gran Canaria big man Artem Pustovyi, the only Ukrainian player on any team in the 7DAYS EuroCup or Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, was more than up to the task when his team hosted Frutti Extra Bursaspor.

Gran Canaria's Pustovyi was super-focused against Bursaspor

Gran Canaria v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2022-03-09T20:00:00.000Z)

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

Virtus Segafredo Bologna center Mam Jaiteh earned his first-ever 7DAYS EuroCup MVP of the Round honor with a near-flawless performance in a key 72-83 road win over Umana Reyer Venice on Wednesday.

Round 14 MVP: Mam Jaiteh, Virtus Segafredo Bologna

Jaiteh posted a persona-best and Virtus club record with his performance index rating of 41, which topped all players in Round 14 and tied for the season's fourth-best single-game total. The big man combined a career-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, making 9 of 11 two-point shots and 6 of 8 free throws in the win. He also added 2 assists, 1 block and 8 drawn fouls for the first MVP nod of his five-season EuroCup career. Jerai Grant of Promitheas Patras followed with a PIR of 34 based on 22 points and 11 rebounds as he powered his team to a key 79-68 victory over ratiopharm Ulm. The next-best PIR belonged to Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana center Alen Omic, whose PIR of 30 came with 19 points on perfect 8-for-8 field goal shooting and 8 rebounds in a win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. Rounding out the list of Round 14's top performers were Aleksander Dziewa of Slask Wroclaw and Artem Pustovyi of Gran Canaria, both with PIRs of 28. Dziewa posted 25 points and 5 rebounds as his team beat visiting Dolomiti Energia Trento, while Pustovyi had 18 points plus 10 rebounds in a home win over Frutti Extra Bursaspor.

Mam Jaiteh earned the first MVP of the Round honor for Virtus Segafredo Bologna this season after a career-best performances in a key 72-83 road win over Umana Reyer Venice. Jaiteh had a career-high and a club-record 41 PIR, topping all players in Round 14.

Mam Jaiteh | Round 14 MVP | 7DAYS EuroCup

Boulogne Metropolitans 92 used a fantastic defensive effort against one of the EuroCup's best scorers to claim a valuable victory on Wednesday. 

Metropolitans stopped Homesley to stifle Hamburg

Metropolitans head coach Vincent Collet knew that, even though his team's opponent came to Paris with some absences, the key for the win had to do a lot with containing Hamburg Towers' top scorer, Caleb Homesley. Despite the French team's victory in Hamburg back in Round 5, Homesely had hurt Metropolitans by scoring a season-high 29 points on 5-for-11 three-point shooting in just 26 minutes on court.

This time, Collet's game plan worked fine, as Homesley encountered problems getting any scoring rhythm. He finished the first half with just 4 points and had 7 at the end of the game. It was the first time he failed to reach double-figures in points this season. His single three-pointer made was also his low for the season, and that one didn't fall until just a few seconds before the final whistle.

That defensive effort on Homesley, who shot 3-of-13 from the field, was one of the main assets that the home team used to limit Hamburg to its second-lowest scoring total this season. 

"We played better defense, especially on Homesley," Collet commented after the win. "We stopped their rhythm. Of course, he could have made more shots, but we didn't give him the left often and, offensively, we shared the ball very well in the first half." 

Boulogne Metropolitans 92 v Hamburg Towers (2022-03-09T19:30:00.000Z)

Caleb Homesley - Hamburg Towers (photo Olivier dAlmeida - Metropolitans) - EC21