Virtus inspired by Lundberg, Weems and Teodosic against ALBA
With Iffe Lundberg having missed Virtus Segafredo Bologna's last two games and Kyle Weems having only played 2:51 minutes against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 27, the two players could only have dreamt about how well they were going to play on the road at ALBA Berlin in Round 28.
In the case of Weems, he recorded a season-high 22 points, which also matches his career high in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Lundberg, meanwhile, was a key contributor in a 0-16 run that helped Virtus put ALBA away in the last quarter.
Weems was almost unstoppable on the court, going for 5-of-5 on two pointers and adding 4 three-pointers from only 7 attempts in just 22 minutes. “I played with confidence," he stated after the game. “I put a lot work in. My teammates trusted me today and they found me when I was open, so I’ve got to get credit for them."
Lundberg returned to EuroLeague action in style, getting red-hot in the last quarter to help Virtus make sure of the win after ALBA had got within 14 points. The Danish guard scored 7 points, grabbed 2 boards, dished 3 assists, drew 3 fouls and stole 1 ball in the final period, which allowed him to finish with a PIR of 19 for the game.
“It’s always tough to come back from 20 points down, especially after halftime, but they had nothing to lose at that point, so we had to go out and fight – and that’s what we did,” Lundberg explained when asked about ALBA's final comeback attempt. “We expected [that they would come back] and they did, but we kept fighting."
The Virtus duo scored a combined 6 triples between them and they were also aided by the play of Milos Teodosic, who himself did some typical Teodosic things. The veteran point guard contributed 21 points, making 5-of-7 three-pointers, and 6 assists in just 18 minutes to complete Virtus's magic triangle.
“I’ve been playing with Milos for four seasons now. Nothing he does amazes me anymore," confessed Weems when talking about his teammate.
“His aggressiveness, his IQ, but more importantly the way he wants to share the ball and get his teammates going before he is able to make shots and play for himself. He is one of my favorite teammates of all time, and obviously he is one of the best players ever played in Europe. He showed it today."