Virtus Bologna managed to beat Olimpia Milano 86-79 in the Derby d'Italia in Round 8 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season, with bench trio Iffe Lundberg, Awudu Abass and Ognjen Dobric making vital contributions in the win.

Bench trio shined for Virtus Bologna in impressive win over Olimpia Milano

Virtus Segafredo Bologna continued its good start to the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season with an 86-79 home win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the Derby d’Italia in Round 8, largely thanks to an unfancied trio which came off the bench.

Milan dominated most of the first half on the back of a sound performance from Shavon Shields, but Virtus gained the upper hand before the interval after Awudu Abass rocked the visitors with lethal three-point shooting while Ognjen Dobric came up with a dazzling all-round display.

Abass scored 11 of his 14 points in the opening two periods, while Dobric amassed 8 points to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and as many steals. Milan threw away its lead and trailed 45-40 at halftime, but there seemed to be a way back as the visitors scored the opening 6 points in the third quarter.

Ognjen Dobric, Awudu Abass and Iffe Lundberg played vital roles as Virtus Segafredo Bologna beat EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 86-79 in the Derby d'Italia in Round 8 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Virtus's bench trio were key vs. Milan

However, they were undone by a magnificent second-half performance from Iffe Lundberg. The Dane lit up the contest with 19 points, all of which came after the break, and 7 of them came in crunch time. A three-pointer, a slam-dunk and a pair of free throws meant Lundberg netted his team’s last 7 points, forcing Milan into submission.

“We knew coming into the game that it would be tough against our great rival Milan,” Lundberg said in a flash courtside interview after the game. “We talked in the locker room \[at halftime\] that we would need to keep the same resilience in the second half. We were up by 5 and then we slowed down a little bit. Energy was the key and whenever I was on the court, I brought that to help the team win.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">QUESTI. SIAMO. NOI. 🤍🖤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmarsiAncora?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmarsiAncora</a> <a href="https://t.co/eY0amrgVYt">pic.twitter.com/eY0amrgVYt</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1724541658706928003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Virtus head coach Luca Banchi was delighted with his side’s win. “This win means a lot because we all knew it would take something special to beat Milan,” he said. “They approached the game with incredible focus, but we responded in a great way. A big effort from everybody and now the most important thing is to recuperate and maintain our focus.”

Visiting head coach Ettore Messina, meanwhile, lamented how his team has made a habit of throwing away leads. “I want to congratulate Virtus for winning a tough game and I want to thank Luca \[Banchi\] for a classy gesture ahead of the game to walk on to the court together with me,” Messina said during the post-game press conference.

“Once again, we wasted our lead and this must be the sixth or seventh game that we’ve lost in the fourth quarter. Always the same way. Lundberg was of course the key, but poor defense in the fourth quarter cost us the game.”

More Virtus News

Iffe Lundberg dunks for Virtus Segafredo Bologna against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the Derby d'Italia in Round 8 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The home side drew inspiration from some unlikely sources to defeat its perennial Italian rival in the Derby d'Italia.

Bench trio shined for Virtus in impressive win over Milan

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-11-14T19:30:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade pleased its fans with an 87-56 home victory over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, showing its point guard depth in which was the biggest key to this win. 


Teodosic, Yago made the difference in Round 8

Fenerbahce came into this game without four rotation players and Zvezda also faced early injury problems when starting point guard Shabazz Napier left the game 68 seconds after the tip-off.

Yago dos Santos immediately came off the bench and made things happen, feeding Joel Bolomboy for an alley-oop slam, getting a steal that allowed Luka Mitrovic to dunk at the other end and hitting a three-pointer that gave Zvezda a 22-13 margin. Late in the first quarter, Milos Teodosic came off the bench and immediately delivered, sinking a three-pointer over center Georgios Papagiannis to fix the score at 25-16 after 10 minutes.

Teodosic does not need much to get going, and soon added his second three-pointer to break the game open, 35-19. Teodosic and dos Santos combined for 22 first-half points. When Teodosic found Bolomboy for a buzzer-beating layup, Zvezda led 45-26 at the break.

Zvezda had to face more point guard injury struggles, as dos Santos hit a floater but fell down awkwardly, leaving the game for good. Teodosic kept pacing Zvezda without needing to send any of his trademark impossible assists to dominate the game. This time, he had 18 points in less than 20 minutes, burying 4 of his 5 attempts from beyond the arc.

"It is a good victory. We played good, so that's the way we need to play in the future, to play hard on defense," Teodosic said after the game. "We are talented and can score against anybody. We need to be more focused on our defense in every game."

Yago Dos Santos and Milos Teodosic led Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade to an 87-56 home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 8.

Yago, Teodosic lead Zvezda past Fenerbahce

Asked about his great performance, Teodosic reminded everyone it is not him, but Zvezda getting wins: "I don't like to talk about myself. This is a team game, a team win, and I am really happy that I am a part of this group of people, great persons and great players."

Nemanja Nedovic had a strong all-around performance, finishing the game with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Zvezda ended up with 18 assists and just 10 turnovers. On the other hand, Fenerbahce had 13 assists and 12 turnovers. Three-point shooting was the other key to the game: Zvezda buried 13 of 27 shots from downtown (48.1%) and Fenerbahce hit just a third of its 24 attempts from beyond the arc.

"The night belongs to Zvezda," Fenerbahce head coach Dimitris Itoudis said after the game. "Unfortunately, we were not up to the potential we have, to the situation required, so congratulations to Zvezda."

Both teams return to action on Thursday. Fenerbahce stays in Belgrade to face Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. Zvezda visits Olympiacos Piraeus.

Game Videos

Game News

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade pleased its fans with an 87-56 home victory over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, showing its point guard depth, which was the key to this win. 


Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-11-14T19:45:00.000Z)

KK Crvena zvezda (2-5) crushed Fenerbahçe Basketball (5-2) 87-56 at Stark Arena in Belgrade in Round 8 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season. 

Zvezda overwhelms Fenerbahce, 87-56

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

Led by its backcourt, Crvena Zvezda cruised past visiting Fenerbahce to the delight of its sold-out crowd. 

Virtus Bologna secured the bragging rights in the Derby d'Italia after beating Olimpia Milano 86-79 in Round 8 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Virtus Bologna downs Olimpia Milano in the Derby d'Italia, 86-79

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Ognjen Dobric of Virtus Segafredo Bologna gets away from Shavon Shields of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan during the Derby d'Italia in Round 8 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Iffe Lundberg and Awudu Abass were very impressive after coming off the bench for the hosts.

Virtus downs Milan in the Derby d'Italia, 86-79, thanks to superb Lundberg

Valencia Basket Club (5-2) and Real Madrid Baloncesto (6-0) face off tonight in Round 8 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Still undefeated: Real Madrid rallies for 73-76 triumph in Valencia

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Valencia Basket vs. Real Madrid.

After falling behind early, the reigning champs took charge in the third quarter and held off Valencia late. 

Valencia Basket v Real Madrid (2023-11-14T19:30:00.000Z)

Shane Larkin, Darius Thompson and Rodrigue Beaubois led Anadolu Efes S.K. to an 82-89 win against AS Monaco Basket in Round 8 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Anadolu Efes's backcourt stars dismantled Monaco Basket's defense

Snapping the five-game winning streak of one of the most in-form Turkish Airlines EuroLeague teams on their home court was anything but an easy task for Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Yet, the Turkish side saw its three star guards – Shane Larkin, Rodrigue Beaubois and Darius Thompson – step up to inspire their team to [a hard-fought 82-89 victory against AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-as-monaco-basket-vs-anadolu-efes-sk/) at Salle Gaston Medecin.

Larkin produced a player-of-the-game performance and ended the contest with a season-high 25 points, having gone 6-for-8 (75.0%) from inside the arc and 4-for-9 (44.4%) from the perimeter for a game-high PIR of 25.

Impressively, the 31-year-old Larkin scored 8 of his points in the last quarter, with his last basket being an impossible buzzer-beating two-point dagger to make it 82-87 with 00:38 left on the clock. After scoring 48 points in the first half, Efes added another 41 in the second to seal its first road victory of the season.

“We really struggled in the third quarters all season, so we really put an emphasis on coming out strong in the third quarter and just staying together,” Larkin said after the game. “We got a lot of contributors today, good rebounds and buckets at the end.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">📢 <a href="https://twitter.com/Migros_Turkiye?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Migros_Turkiye</a> ile AS Monaco karşılaşmamızın <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MVP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MVP</a>’si Shane Larkin!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LarkinSize%C4%B0yiGelecek?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LarkinSizeİyiGelecek</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/RmhnF4v74G">pic.twitter.com/RmhnF4v74G</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1724518881497104523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Beaubois, Thompson also stepped up

Indeed, it was not a one-man-show at Monaco on Tuesday, as Beaubois and Thompson also played a key role in their team’s win. The former finished the game with a season-high 21 points, having made 9-of-12 field goals, for a PIR of 22.

“I think our attitude was pretty good,” Beaubois noted. “We played together. We fought together. We had ups and downs but stuck together. Obviously, Shane had a great game. We were very focused from the beginning to the end and that’s what we need to do going forward.”

Darius Thompson, Shane Larkin and Rodrigue Beaubois were particularly impressive as Anadolu Efes Istanbul beat AS Monaco 82-89 in Round 8 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Efes's backcourt stepped up at Monaco

As for Thompson, Efes’s summer signing had 6 points heading into the closing quarter but scored half of his team’s 20 points in the last 10 minutes. When Larkin, Beaubois and Thompson were on the floor, Efes circulated the ball smoothly and found several open looks that led to easy baskets.

What’s more, it should be noted that the three guards recorded a total of 14 assists. Adding Will Clyburn, who had a quiet game, to the equation, the four Efes players registered 19 of their team’s 24 assists of the night by dishing at least 4 each.

After winning its second game in a row, Efes will look to continue its momentum by pushing for a second straight road victory, as it plays at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 9 on Thursday night.

More Efes News

Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is defended by Mike James of AS Monaco during the two teams' Round 8 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Shane Larkin, Darius Thompson and Rodrigue Beaubois were particularly impressive at Salle Gaston Medecin.

Efes's backcourt stars dismantled Monaco's defense

AS Monaco v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-11-14T18:00:00.000Z)

In a game between two playoff teams from last year,   Olympiacos B.C. outlasted Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. 74-79 in Round 8 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season in Belgrade.

Short-handed Olympiacos fends off Maccabi, 74-79, to snap losing skid

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Olympiacos Piraeus.

Despite missing key players to injury and having another foul out early, the Reds prevailed in Belgrade against the Israeli champs. 

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-11-14T19:05:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes S.K. improved to a 4-4 record in the EuroLeague after beating AS Monaco Basket 82-99 in Round 8 of the 2023-24 regular season. 

Anadolu Efes beats Monaco Basket on the road, 82-89

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Erkan Yilmaz of Anadolu Efes Istanbul has possession against AS Monaco in Round 8 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Turkish side won its first game away from Istanbul after losing its previous three road games.

Efes beats Monaco on the road, 82-89

So we’ll definitely see a new MVP in the 2023-24 EuroLeague and there are a couple of familiar names entering the fray with all guns blazing. Looking more mature than ever and successfully balancing scoring with playmaking, Mike James is leading the pack while Tornike Shengelia follows just slightly behind his former CSKA Moscow teammate.

As always, each player’s individual numbers, winning impact, leadership, and team results are all taken into consideration, apart from the “eye test.”

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1581526/euroleague-2023-24-mvp-ladder-by-eurohoops-vol-1/)

The MVP is gone, long live the MVP. For the first time since 2018 when then-EuroLeague MVP Luka Doncic took the jump to the NBA, there’ll be no “defending the crown” campaign as former Olympiacos Piraeus forward and 2023 MVP Sasha Vezenkov made his own trip across the pond.