Virtus Olidata Bologna – Napoli Basketball 105-88
(25-19, 26-13, 21-24, 33-32)
First defeat for Napoli Basketball in their Serie A championship opening game. Coach Alessandro Magro's team lost 105-88 away to Italian champions Virtus Bologna.
FIRTS QUARTER
Diouf and Caruso scored the first points of the game. Two Simms from three points gave Napoli Basket their first lead, 4-8. Virtus tied the score with a 4-0 run, but Mitrou-Long put the Azzurri back in front with his first bomb. At middle of first quarter, the score was tied at 12-13. An 8-0 run gave Bologna their first lead, 20-13 lead. Coach Magro called a timeout. Croswell and Mitrou-Long ran 0-4 runs to cut the deficit to 20-17. Morgan's three point put Virtus ahead by six. The first period ended with Bologna leading 25-19.
SECOND QUARTER
Virtus scores on a fast break with Smailagic, Diouf pushes Bologna to a 10-point lead, while Croswell finds the first score for Napoli three minutes into the second quarter. Morgan and Caruso exchange blows back and forth, with the Virtus player making no mistake from the line, 3 on 3, 34-23 at mid-quarter. Napoli fails to score, and Olidata taking an 18-point lead with Edwards and Jallow. The Azzurri break the run-scoring with free throws from Simms, Flagg scores from deep, and Diouf makes it 45-27 with two minutes to the half time. Napoli tries to stay in the game with Croswell dunking, Simms scores from deep, but Smailagic's three-pointer makes it 51-32 at halftime.
THIRD QUARTER
Simms's 3-pointer opened the third quarter, Bolton scored on a fast break, but Virtus reply with a 6-0 run from Alston and Taylor. Bolton continued to score, Smailagic hitting another 3-pointer, and Simms answer with a similar score, making it 60-44. The home team continued to hit 3-pointers, Morgan score by the a corner, Caruso making a good tap-in, and Croswell made two points to make it 63-48 midway through the quarter. The defense stepped up, with Croswell making a great block, and Bolton score for -13 points. A 6-0 run for the Azzurri was interrupted by two free throws from Edwards. Flagg scored on a fast break after another Croswell block, but Niang made two points after a daring play. A good job by Bolton and Croswell, with Smailagic scoring after an offensive rebound, Treier finding the mid-range points, but Paiola's free throws set the score at 72-56 at the last interval.
FOURTH QUARTER
Great Scores by Jallow and Mitrou-Long, Pajola hits a three-pointer to make it 77-58, Mitrou-Long scores with a foul, and Flagg flies in to dunk to make it 77-63 after two minutes of play in the fourth quarter. Alston and Flagg exchange blows back and forth, with Edwards' three-pointer at the buzzer forcing Coach Magro to call a timeout. Bolton makes a great drive, Morgan scores on a two point shot, and Niang dunks to make it 87-70 for Virtus midway through the quarter. The Azzurri try not to give up with free throws by Simms, who surpasses the 20-point mark. Mitrou-Long scores again from deep, but Virtus manages to maintain its lead until the final buzzer. The match ends 105-88 in favor of the Italian champions.
Napoli Basketball will return to the field next Saturday, October 11th at 8:30 pm at the PalaBarbuto in the match of the second day of Serie A, against Pallacanestro Trieste
Box Score:
Simms 23, Flagg 18, Croswell 16, Mitrou-Long 12, Bolton 11, Caruso 6, Treier 2, Gentile, Faggian, El-Amin, Gloria n.e., Saccoccia n.e.
Coach Magro’s Statement:
"It was a very difficult first game for us. We knew the game would be tough from a physical and technical standpoint. We're not discovering the quality that Bologna, even with the new roster, has shown in the Super Cup and Euroleague. We started with a bit of awe, which is understandable, but we broke the ice. I told my players that there are many things to improve on, defensively where we conceded too many easy points, but I think this team has something to bother us as an "underdog," because it's not easy to come here in Bologna, which is a fairly difficult venue, and we still shot 68% from 2-point range, dishing out 19 assists against Virtus. The substantial difference was definitely the percentace 3-point shot, we have built a team with the 3-point shot as one of its weapons. We can and must manage a night with a poor 3-point percentage, but not a night where we lack defensive and offensive consistency. We didn't do it for the entire 40 minutes and that's something we need to learn from. Let's get going again. We still have a lot of work to do, but I believe in my players, and starting with a bang could even be an advantage. Let's stay humble, keep our feet on the ground, and keep working. I trust on my players and I believe this team can do well.
Credits. Virtus Bologna