Zalgiris secured a victory on the road against Virtus Bologna by 82-79 in the first round of the new EuroLeague season.
Keenan Evans scored the first points of the new season, while on the other side, captain Marco Bellinelli did the same. Virtus had a disastrous start to the match, and Zalgiris capitalized on it, opening the game with a 10-2 run. Virtus then managed to stabilize the game, and it became quite competitive. Isiah Cordinier tied the score at 13-13 with free throws. Ognjen Dobric then hit a three-pointer, causing excitement in Bologna, and Jordan Mickey slammed a dunk to put the black and whites up by five. Virtus ended the first quarter leading 21-15.
Mickey continued where he left off at the beginning of the second quarter, and Arnas Butkevicius scored with a foul. The game slowed down for a moment, but the hosts still maintained a stable lead. Naz Mitrou-Long broke the monotony with a score, and Ognjen Dobric reached his tenth point. Virtus then extended their lead to 13 points with excellent defense. Despite a good start, Zalgiris seemed inferior for a while. However, just before halftime, the Lithuanian team managed to cut the deficit to five points, with the score being 42-37 in favor of the team from Bologna.
Shengelia began the second half with points from an offensive rebound, and Evans responded on the other end. Tomas Dimsa scored with a foul, and Zalgiris equalized after Virtus had a 15-point lead. However, the black and white team answered with a 5-0 run through Dobric and Mickey. The American center had his 8-0 run, which brought the lead back to Luka Banchi’s team by ten points. Cordinier continued where Mickey left off, completing a 14-2 run for the Italian vice-champion. The Italian team took control, but Zalgiris made a comeback, which was the main theme of this match. Virtus had a 14-point lead again, but going into the final quarter, that lead was only seven points.
The last quarter began with an exchange of points on both sides. Both teams played in mini-runs, but Zalgiris was chasing the team in black jerseys, but they couldn’t catch up. Zalgiris equalized with four minutes left. Virtus lost their rhythm in the final few minutes, and Evans shone. Everything happened under his guidance, and in the end, Zalgiris had a four-point lead with two minutes to go. Evans hit a crazy three-pointer, but Virtus scored after Belinelli’s missed free throw with a volleyball-style putback, cutting the lead to half a point. Evans then made a free throw, giving hope to Virtus fans. However, Cordinier stepped on the baseline, and then Jordan Mickey received a technical foul, which ultimately decided the game.
The standout performers in this game for the giants from Bologna were Jordan Mickey, who went 3 for 3 from beyond the 6.75 line and finished with 18 points. He was followed by Tornike Shengelia with 17 points, and Ognjen Dobric and Isaiah Cordinier both contributed 12 points each. On the other hand, Keenan Evans was the standout player for the Lithuanian team, scoring 25 points, with Edgaras Ulanovas adding 11 points.
VIRTUS-ZALGIRIS 79:82(23:15, 19:22, 23:21,14:24)
Arena: Virtus Segafredo Arena
Referees: Panther, Boltauzer, Silva
Virtus: Dobric 12, Dunston, Belinelli 7, Cordinier 12, Pajola, Shengelia 17, Hackett 7, Cacok 2, Lundberg, Mickey 18 , Polonara, Smith 4.
Zalgiris: Dimsa 8, Evans 25, Hayes 2, Smits 10, Ulanovas 11, Birutis 4, Butkevicius 6, Giedraitis, Lavrinovicius, Lekavicius 2, Manek 8, Mitrou-Long 6.