Hapoel Rallies Past Virtus in Sofia, Micic Scores 16
Hapoel Tel Aviv beat Virtus Bologna 90-81 in Round 7 of the EuroLeague after trailing by 13. Zach LeDay had 22 points, Vasilije Micic 16, and Bologna's four-game winning streak ended.
The first two minutes in Sofia passed without a single basket, and Vasilije Micic missed everything he shot in the first half. His first field goal came in transition, on a foul by Klintmen, and cut the deficit to 41-32. It was the first time in a while that Hapoel Tel Aviv had been within single digits. Micic finished with 16 points, and Hapoel beat Virtus Bologna 90-81 in the opening game of EuroLeague Round 7.
How did Hapoel fall 13 points behind?
Hapoel plays its home games in Sofia, and Virtus started the evening better there. After an 8-6 opening for the hosts, Bologna adjusted its starting five, with Diara replacing Diouf. An 11-2 run followed and put the visitors up 17-10. The hosts answered with an 8-0 run, but Daniel Lino Heket scored five straight points and Virtus won the first quarter 25-23.
In the second, Kofi put Hapoel back in front at 27-25, and then Virtus ran off a 16-2 spurt to lead 41-29. The visitors went into halftime ahead 48-36. Hapoel scored only 13 points in the second period, seven of them from Micic. Virtus had 12 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes and still led by 13 (51-38) early in the third quarter.
What changed after halftime?
Hapoel coach Dimitris Itoudis got what he had asked of Elijah Bryant, who found his rhythm in the third quarter and finished with 12 points, 10 of them in the second half. Micic and Zach LeDay were also in rhythm, and Hapoel went on a 17-5 run to tie the game at 53-53. Alex Mumbru called a timeout, but it did not help Virtus.
Sources differ on the score heading into the final period. B92 reports that Hapoel led 64-62 after three quarters, while Mozzart Sport writes that LeDay turned the game around before the fourth quarter and put his team ahead “by half a basket.” Either way, the lead was minimal.
In the last ten minutes Hapoel kept growing the margin, first through LeDay, and at one point led by 13 (79-66). Trouble came when Dan Oturu picked up his fifth foul. Misses followed, and Virtus cut a 12-point deficit to six, 79-73.
Who decided the game?
LeDay, a former Partizan player, was the most productive with 22 points and 10 rebounds, plus 4 assists and a performance index rating of 33. The decisive moment was his three-pointer from the left side, which broke the game open and brought a hug from Itoudis. Hapoel’s scoring looked like this:
- Micic: 16 points
- Ty Odiase: 13 points
- Elijah Bryant: 12 points
- Zach LeDay: 22 points and 10 rebounds
Virtus was balanced but not good enough. Derick Alston and Alou Diara scored 12 each, Diara adding 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, and Wendell Moore had 11. Tommaso Baldasso and Marcus Carr put up 10 apiece. Bologna grabbed a remarkable 21 offensive rebounds, but shot 9 of 32 from three and made only two threes in the second half.
With 2:31 left, Itoudis and Mumbru had a heated argument, and both were given technical fouls. Hapoel held on to the lead anyway, and the finish belonged to LeDay, who scored the key points.
What does this win change in the standings?
After beating Panathinaikos in Athens, Hapoel confirmed its form and now stands at 5-2. Virtus came into the round at 4-2 with a four-game winning streak, and is now 4-3. Hapoel next plays Anadolu Efes in Sofia, while Virtus hosts Zalgiris in the next round.
The rest of Round 7 is played on Thursday and Friday. The first game on Thursday is Anadolu Efes against Besiktas at 7:30 p.m., and the “eternal” derby between Partizan and Crvena Zvezda is scheduled for Thursday at 8:45 p.m. at Belgrade Arena.
