AS Monaco ruined Virtus Segafredo Bologna’s return to the Turkish Airlines on Friday night, as it escaped from Paladozza with a solid 66-83 victory thanks to a standout performance from star guard Mike James.
Monaco suffocates Virtus on the road
The visitors went on a 0-11 run between the first and the second quarters to open up a 18-25 lead after 12 minutes, before increasing the margin to double digits at the end of the third. Mike James was unstoppable all game long and finished with 26 points and 6 assists, with a PIR of 30. Alpha Diallo and Elie Okobo also contributed 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the winners. Virtus had Iffe Lundberg finish with 14 points, while Jordan Mickey and Semi Ojeleye posted 11 apiece in the losing effort.
Even though Virtus started strong in the paint thanks to Mam Jaiteh and Ismael Bako’s effort, the home team was unable to get the game under control. When it took a short 4-point margin (18-14) at the end of the first quarter, James and Okobo fired back as part of an 11-0 run that helped Monaco reach halftime with a six-point lead, 34-40. Virtus struggled from behind the arc and, despite Daniel Hackett getting the hosts within 39-44 with a triple, the duo of Okobo and James showed up again to immediately crush Virtus's hopes of a comeback. Diallo joined the party right after to help Monaco amass a double-digit advantage that James set at 45-63 entering the last period. Virtus’s last attempt came from the hands of Jordan Mickey, who stepped up both offensively and defensively, but the hosts were never able to get closer than 12 points (51-63). Monaco maintained its tough defense to keep Virtus at bay, as the Italian champs continued to miss shots both behind the arc and from the free throw line. A three-pointer by Diallo and a couple of inside baskets of John Brown saw the scoreboard read 60-78 in Monaco's favor, as it recorded its first road win of the season.