Marco Belinelli, Virtus: 'Every EuroLeague game is like a final'

Sergio Scariolo, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
“We were pretty much in control. In certain moments, you lose your focus a little bit. This is a great scoring team with great shooters. The very few times we didn’t have the right matchup on [Markus] Howard, he was knocking down 2 threes in a row. So you needed to keep a high level of concentration. But we played a good game, a good offensive game, quite a good defensive game, as well with some lapses. But it was a big win. We are still in the fight, in the race, which is what we want.
“I am extremely proud of the game we played tonight. We had a very solid game from the beginning to the end. We were able to get back together after a couple of the slumps we had. But we were in control and we beat a very, very good team. I really want to thank our fans, who were so supportive as always. And I want to thank my staff because they did an unbelievable job. We have many players who need daily special assistance. A player [Toko Shengelia] flew in last night after playing 30 minutes with the national team. He was there tonight. A player who had a 39-degree fever was there tonight. There are players who are really playing through pain or at a very high level of tiredness. And they are there fighting. I am really really proud of them.
"A special mention to Abi [Awudu Abass]. One month ago he wasn’t even a player, and we had an idea to start him and put him on [Markus] Howard. Most of the time, he did a great job. He trusted our tactical decisions, but he also has the personality to knock down a couple of threes. And he was really really important in our win."
Joan Penarroya, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz head coach
“Congrats to Virtus. I think the little things decided it at the end of the game. We missed important three-point shots and Virtus scored in those important moments.
“I think we played a good game, but with bad shooting percentages on offense. For example, we had 1 three-pointer in the fourth quarter. And it’s hard to win like that away. In the first two minutes, Virtus scored with confidence: 9 points in two minutes. And in the last three minutes of the first half, Virtus scored 15 points. And in the third quarter, Virtus scored 10 straight points on layups and we didn’t use our fouls. It is little details like this that we need to improve.”
Marco Belinelli, Virtus Segafredo Bologna guard
“This was a solid game for us, especially after losing to Germani Brescia in the Italian Cup [final]. For us, every game in the EuroLeague is like a final. We just need to stay together, be better every day and try to do our best every game. We knew before the game it wouldn’t be easy against this type of team. They really love to run. But we controlled them, especially the third and fourth quarters. We moved the ball on offense. Everybody was willing to help on rebounding."
Awudu Abass, Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward
“For sure it’s a really big win. I am really happy for the team. I am also really happy for Toko Shengelia that he played yesterday [for the Georgia national team] and he came back to play with us. It was my first game after five years. I was waiting to come back to EuroLeague and do something, and now is the time.”