The championship series resumes on Saturday in Bologna for Game 2. Olimpia prevailed in the first road game with a great offensive second half after a first one in which the defense limited the damage. Olimpia finished with 12/18 on three-pointers in the second half and produced 61 points over the last 25 minutes of the game, scoring 64 points with three players, Shavon Shields, Shabazz Napier and Devon Hall. After the game, Coach Ettore Messina praised the overall performance of the defense, but underlined the need to move the ball better against the physicality of the Virtus defense. Game 2 will be even more difficult: Olimpia went from 11 points down in the second period to six points ahead at the end of the third quarter, a 17-point swing which however was canceled in the fourth period when Bologna went all-out again. There was therefore a dramatic ending, with the big three with which Napier sent the game to overtime and the surreal overtime played by Shields, who became the second scorer in the history of the championship series in his 30th appearance. Olimpia has never had much luck in overtime matches in games over the last two years, but this time it left their opponent no chance by immediately placing a decisive run. The team prepared Game 2 in the afternoon in Bologna. Tip-off time will be 20:30.
GAME 2 REFEREES – Saverio Lanzarini, Manuel Attard, Denny Borgioni.
GAME 1 – Virtus led the entire first half, reaching an 11-point lead twice. Olimpia, resorting to its defense, limited the deficit by closing down by eight. In the third quarter, Olimpia played its best basketball, starting with 5-0 run and later tying the score up with a Devon Hall drive and taking the lead off a Shavon Shields three-pointer. At that point, Olimpia twice built a six-point lead including late in the third quarter with another Shields three-pointer. In the fourth period, Bologna went all-out. When Virtus took a three-point lead with Cordinier, Olimpia responded with a three by Shabazz Napier. The overtime had no history. First Nicolò Melli (eight points and seven rebounds) then Shields tore the game aprt. Shields finished with 25 points including 22 in the second half and overtime, with 6-for-7 from three. Napier scored 21 and Devon Hall 18. 86-75 was the final score.
GAME NOTES – Shavon Shields is now the second-leading scorer in the Italian league championship series. After scoring 25 points in Game 1, he has 462 for his career. Carlton Myers has 604 and leads the all-time list. Nicolò Melli has gabbed now more than 100 defensive rebounds in the Italian league championship series. He surpassed Gregor Fucka to rise to the 4th place ever behind Dino Meneghin, Shaun Stonerook and Riccardo Pittis. Shavon Shields has scored now more than 600 career point in the Italian league playoffs for Olimpia surpassing Dino Meneghin and rising to the 5th place ever behind Mike D’Antoni, Roberto Premier, Alessandro Gentile and Bob McAdoo.
