Semifinal basketball: Virtus overwhelms Tortona and is 1-0

All easy for Virtus, which enters race 1 by crashing Tortona just like Milan did with Sassari. The Bolognese command for 40 minutes, imposing their physicality which crushes a Bertram nailed also by the tragic percentages from the arc (17 consecutive errors before finally putting in the basket after 28′). The Segafredo led by Shengelia and Belinelli sound like a perfect chorus, but with a collective team effort that starts from the perfect defense (32% on Tortona action).

Rocket start

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Beli immediately launched the hosts with two triples on the first two possessions and the 10-0 start was a declaration of intent for a Virtus that never looked back. Too little resistance on the other side, with bad performances by Christon, Daum and Harper, while Macura was the only one who never gave up. Segafredo doubled her opponents already in the second quarter at 30-15 with the physical dominance of Ojeleye inside the area and the leadership level of Shengelia who controlled the match from start to finish, signing the triple of 44-24 with which you go to at intervals. Segafredo doesn’t even need the best Teodosic and even in moments of lesser offensive brilliance he clings to an unsurpassable defense. Pajola at the buzzer in the third quarter makes it 63-41, then another volley from Belinelli makes it +26 in the fourth period (69-43) when the 1-0 has already been written in the books for some time.

Virtus: Ojeleye e Belinelli 15, Hackett 14.

Tortona: Macura 20, Severini 14, Cain e Christon 7.