Virtus secured their second win of the season in the Italian Serie A by convincingly defeating Varese 115-84 in Bologna.
With this victory, Luca Banchi’s team took the top spot in the standings, as their biggest rival, Milano, suffered a defeat against Napoli today.
Virtus established a double-digit lead in the very first quarter. The Italian vice-champions went on a 14-0 run midway through the first quarter, signaling the direction of the game.
In the following 10 minutes, the outcome was essentially decided as Varese struggled and fell behind by 20 points in the second quarter. At halftime, Virtus led 58-39.
The guests attempted to make a more substantial comeback in the third quarter, but the well-performing Marco Belinelli prevented them from closing the gap significantly, and they could only reduce it to -13.
However, it was a debacle for Tomas Bialaszewski’s team as they lost the final quarter 34-17. In the end, it was a more convincing victory for the team from Bologna. They will face Monaco in the EuroLeague on Friday.
Tortona – Brindisi
Among the other games in Palacanestro, the match between Tortona and Brindisi stood out, with the northern Italian club by 69-68.
The game was closely contested from the start. Both teams played tough, but Brindisi managed to take a narrow lead of 17-16 after the first 10 minutes.
Even though the visitors managed to build a lead of +9 in the second quarter, Tortona equalized the score at 39-39 by halftime.
The home team played slightly better in the third quarter and carried a five-point lead into the final 10 minutes.
The closing moments of the game provided a thrilling finish. With three minutes left, Tortona had a +3 lead, but in the next possession, Brindisi’s Bayehe Jordan tied the game with a long-range shot. Then, Mike Daum hit a three-pointer in the following possession, making it 69-66. This score remained on the board for a long time, and with 1:42 left, Brindisi reduced the deficit to 69-68 through free throws. Brindisi had a chance to win the game with an attack, with the ball in the hands of Jeremy Senglin, but he missed the shot.
In the end, Tortona secured their first victory of the season, while Brindisi is now at 0-2.
The top scorers for Tortona were Chris Dowe with 15 points and Tommaso Baldasso with 13 points, while Jamel Morris led the visitors with 12 points.