Hapoel Tel Aviv played grueling defense in the second half and managed to turn around a game that looked very difficult, outscoring their opponents 54-33 in the second half, to improve its record to 5-2. The standout performer was Zach LeDay, who had 22 points, 10 rebounds, and a rating of 33. Odiase was pivotal with 13 points and 6 rebounds, while Mitic finished the game with 16 points. For the Italians, Diarra, with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, and a rating of 23, fought hard until the very end.
Virtus got off to a better start, with Alston on fire and scoring eight points to open the game, six of which were three-pointers, they built an early seven-point lead, making it 10-17. Dimitris Itoudis’s team responded with an 8-0 run of their own, with German hitting a three-pointer, two free throws by LeDay, and a goal-foul by Odiase to take the lead at 18-17. However, the Italians finished the first quarter stronger, ending the ten-minute period with a 25-23 lead.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The second quarter began with Hapoel Tel Aviv tightening up its defense and taking the lead with four consecutive free throws by Odiasse to make it 27-25, but the Israelis then stalled on offense. Virtus, with Baldasso scoring eight points and Alston adding another five, went on a 16-4 run to extend their lead to +12, with 3:23 left in the first half, making it 41-29, and the Italians maintained that lead, ending the first half at 48-36.
Virtus would extend the lead to 13 points at the start of the third quarter, taking a 51-38 lead, but from there on, the Greek team would take charge, first Vasilije Mičić and then LeDay and Bryant, with the latter tying the score at 53-53 with 4:41 remaining in the third quarter. The run—which saw the Italian team’s 13-point lead turn into a 21-4 run for the Israelis—resulted in Hapoel taking a 59-55 lead for the first time, with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter. At that point, Virtus managed to stay close on the scoreboard, but its offense had already stalled, scoring just 14 points in that quarter, which ended 64-62 in favor of Hapoel.
Things were finally clicking for Itoudis’s team, which, after going on a 15-4 run in the first half of the final quarter—with Odiase, Oturu, and LeDay dominating and extending the lead to +13 (79-66). Diarra, with two consecutive offensive rebounds, kept Virtus in the game, as the Italian team went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 79-73 with three minutes remaining. The Italians capitalized on three-pointers by Alston, and then Fraser and Bryant each hit a three-pointer with 1:25 left to make it 82-73, sealing the victory despite the valiant efforts of Diarra, who kept creating opportunities with offensive rebounds. Fraser made it 84-78, but LeDay capped off his stellar performance by making it 87-78, with the game ending at 90-81.
Quarter scores: 23-25, 36-48, 64-62, 90-81
*photo source: euroleaguebasketball.net
