The home team’s dynamic backcourt duo forced Virtus into submission after containing its top scorer
Paris leaned on Shorts and Lo while subduing rampant Clyburn
Paris Basketball showed the mettle and resilience of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stalwart in an 81-78 win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna, as the competition’s debutant continued to impress and defy the odds.
It was an eighth successive win for Paris in its first season in the EuroLeague, with the home team prevailing in a rugged and physical contest after preventing the visitors from forcing a final twist in the Adidas Arena.
Like so many times this season, Paris relied on TJ Shorts to deliver the goods and the livewire playmaker received vital support from fellow guard Maodo Lo, as the duo joined forces to get the better of Will Clyburn who caught fire in the first half for Virtus.
Shorts struggled from inside for much of the contest, shooting 4-of-12, but was 2-of-2 from deep and sank a clutch fadeaway jumper in the final minute and dished out 9 assists to go with a team-high 19 points.
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Lo chipped in with 16 points as he too bedazzled his markers with superior ball-handling skills which facilitated fast-paced offense. In addition, Nadir Hifi netted 11 points and Paris racked up a staggering 48 rebounds, of which 14 were on offense.
Crucially, the home team held Clyburn to a mere 5 points in the second half after the forward poured 20 in the first 20 minutes, 15 of them in the first quarter when Virtus raced to a 2-13 lead early on and looked capable of snapping the home team’s streak.
Tightly marked and unable to find open looks, Clyburn relied on his teammates after the interval, having made 8 of his 10 attempts in the opening half including 4 of 4 from downtown.
However, they missed a barrage of open shots from deep in the wake of aggressive defense from Paris, as the visitors hit a mere 9 of 29 from downtown. Shorts was delighted after a grueling battle although he acknowledged that Paris would be ill-advised to allow any complacency to creep into its ranks.
“Once again another great feeling and another win. We’re on a high right now but we’ve got to stay focused,” he said in a courtside post-game interview. “You see how the game started, we weren’t on our identity but we’ve got to find ways to protect our home court and that’s what we did tonight.”
Paris head coach Tiago Splitter was also pleased with the outcome after the home team nearly spilled a 77-63 lead in the home straight.
“There were a couple of things we could have done better at the end of the fourth quarter, but at the end of the day it’s a W and I’ll take it,” he said.
Next week, Paris faces a doubleheader on the road as they visit Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and then Olympiacos Piraeus, as the surprise package of the season aims to continue its dream start in Europe’s premier club competition.