Bayern misses the coup in Bologna

The coup against the surprise team of the EuroLeague would have been deserved: Bayern's basketball team suffered an unfortunate 83:85 (42:46) defeat against Virtus Bologna at the start of the second half of the season. In the last minutes, the strong home team turned the game around solely thanks to the experience of their veterans like Hackett and Belinelli.

The guests, who were convincing for a long time, led for extended periods of the game in front of 9,687 fans against the second-placed team in the top-tier league, who had won eight times in a row at home. Towards the end, open shots didn't fall anymore, thus the 22 points from Edwards and Ibaka's double-double (15 points/13 rebounds) weren't enough.

Bayern is traveling on immediately; they have to play in Milan on Friday and in Rostock on Sunday.

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Edwards and Ibaka strong

The offense was initially strong on both sides, and the robust Edwards was right in the mix - he provided eight points for the 24:22 score after the first quarter. Bologna initially benefited from Munich's turnovers and their freedom behind the three-point line. However, Ibaka dominated in the paint, and when Obst hit from the parking lot to make it 31:25 (13 minutes in), it became somewhat quieter in the Virtus stronghold.

However, this changed quickly; Bayern missed opportunities to pull away and were caught up within a few attacks, making it 33:34. Edwards, returning from the bench, threw to secure the halftime lead for Bayern, who balanced their nine turnovers with a 19:10 rebound advantage.

Up 74:66 in the final quarter

Without these turnovers (13 by the end) and Bologna's high offensive rebounds, there could have been even more in the third quarter than the 62:53 score (26 minutes in); the foul limit was reached early as well. Virtus frequently went to the line without much effort or cause, which was painful.

The next attempt in the final stretch, Obst at 74:66 (33 minutes in), could that be enough? Two missed layups later, Bologna was already back in the game, aiming for a comeback. Three minutes before the end, it happened, 77:79. Bologna acted cleverly and cunningly at the limit, securing another crunch-time victory.

Quotes:

Pablo Laso, Head Coach of FC Bayern Basketball: "Congratulations to Virtus, but I think overall, we played a very good game on both ends. However, when you want to win against a team like Virtus, every play, every rebound, every turnover, every shot matters. Overall, I think we did very well, I can't complain much. But I believe we need to improve to win these kinds of games.

Respect to Virtus, they have a strong, highly experienced team and are ready to make the right decisions at the right moment. We controlled the game in the third quarter, but then, although they seemed a bit lost, they were able to draw fouls and repeatedly go to the line. Bologna is having a great season. (...)

Our problem was that we couldn't make shots at the end. And they are a team of veterans who play cleverly in those moments. That's how Virtus wins in the end, and it hurts because we did many things right. We need to learn from that, how we act, not just at the end but, for instance, with a foul at the end of the first quarter - they made a three-pointer. We need to be there for all 40 minutes."

Andi Obst: "We made mistakes in the crucial moments, small things that were ruthlessly punished. We really showed a good game, but in the end, that's what counts, and there, we briefly lost our momentum. Now, it's about the standings, that's why the win would have been good for us. We need to recover now, and the most important game is the next one on Friday. We have to shut out the fatigue and the long season."