The Italian outfit celebrated its first home win of the season after a titanic tussle with the Israeli giant
Virtus grinds out hard-fought win over Maccabi, 84-77
Virtus Segafredo Bologna improved to a 2-6 record in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after a flowing team effort gave the Italian side an 84-77 win over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv as five home players finished in double digits, led by Toko Shengelia who netted 16 points.
Virtus center Ante Zizic claimed the player of the game award with easily his best performance of the season, racking up 14 points, 9 boards and 4 steals as he dominated the paint at both ends.
Alessandro Pajola, who returned to action after missing three games through injury, added 10 points including a clutch triple which sealed his team’s win, while Will Clyburn and Isaia Cordinier chipped in with 11 points apiece.
At the other end, Levi Randolph stood out with a game-high 21 points and Rokas Jokubaitis scored 10 for Maccabi, which dropped to 3-5 after being forced into submission down the stretch.
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Virtus took charge after an even start, producing a 15-5 run to surge ahead 22-17 at the end of the first quarter after a huge Cordinier dunk galvanized the hosts and their vociferous fans.
Maccabi closed in to 31-30 midway through the second, but Virtus was able to pull away again as Shengelia stepped up and the rest of the team followed in his footsteps, engineering a 45-39 advantage at halftime.
Physical and aggressive defending at both ends made for a low-scoring third quarter, with Randolph carrying Maccabi while the unrelenting Shengelia kept Virtus in the driving seat with some big plays, allowing the home team to take a 60-55 lead into the final 10 minutes.
Maccabi slashed the deficit to 62-61 early in the fourth but was unable to turn the tide as Zizic was everywhere for Virtus, although the visitors again threatened to force the final twist when they narrowed the gap to 80-77 in the home straight.
Pajola then sank an open three and it was lights out for Maccabi, which missed a flurry of shots on its last possession as the home supporters danced in delight on the final buzzer.