Super Mario Hezonja made Real Madrid history in win at Virtus

Real Madrid fans were happy when news first broke that Mario Hezonja was going to be wearing the team's famous white jersey from the summer of 2022, as his all-round game made him a valuable asset for first-year head coach Chus Mateo. But, in Los Blancos' 79-96 win at Virtus Segafredo Bologna, Hezonja showcased his excellent outside shooting.
Hezonja drained a career-high 8 three-pointers on 11 attempts en route to 26 points, while he also had 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. The 28-year-old truly took over the game in the fourth quarter with 6 made three-pointers, which was enough to hold off the attempts of Virtus sniper Marco Belinelli.
Curiously, those 8 made triples is a new record for Real, beating the 7 three-pointers hit on five occasions in the past (Raul Lopez, 2000-01; Alberto Herreros, 2001-02; Jaycee Carroll, 2014-15 and 2016-17; and Jeffery Taylor, 2016-17). His 6 makes from deep in the fourth quarter is also tied for a EuroLeague record, as five players in the past have hit 6 threes in a quarter and two have done so in the fourth quarter: Jaycee Carroll in 2016-17 and Kyle Kuric in 2020-21.
“We were just sharing the ball and it just so happened that I was the open one who scored,” said a modest Hezonja, who is shooting 46.4% on three-pointers this season.
But Virtus head coach Sergio Scariolo was far more effusive about the praise the Real forward deserved.
"The class of Real Madrid players – in this case, Mario Hezonja – killed the game with three-pointers. Some were not well defended, some were absolutely well defended," said Coach Scariolo. "But [Hezonja] proved that he played many years in the NBA. And we have to accept that and shake his hand."
Hezonja showed his high-flying ability in the first quarter with a dunk on the break, yet his three-point shooting picked up midway through the second quarter.
After Marco Belinelli drained back-to-back triples for Virtus, Hezonja knocked down 2 straight three-pointers of his own.
After not doing too much in the third quarter, Hezonja made his presence felt right away in the fourth period. He missed a free throw on a technical foul and then opened the quarter with a back-to-back triples, turning a 10-point lead into a 16-point advantage. Hezonja buried 3 more in the space of 112 seconds to swell the lead to 64-83 with six minutes to play.
Hezonja actually missed from deep midway through the fourth quarter, but he made it a 6 made shots from long range with 2:25 minutes to play.
The 26 points he amassed were 4 points off his career high of 30, while his 8 made three-pointers is two better than his previous best. Hezonja is known for his all-action play, but he reminded Real fans on Friday night that he can take over from the outside as well.