Virtus’s run lasted only one quarter; Mumbrù: “We did exactly what they wanted us to do”

A clear victory for Zalgiris Kaunas at the PalaDozza: Virtus Bologna suffered its first home loss of the season and is licking its wounds after a tough lesson. After a strong first quarter, the Vu Nere collapsed against the Lithuanians, who controlled the game and closed it out 91-74.

Coach Alex Mumbrù was clear after the game: “The atmosphere was incredible, and I want to say that because it’s not easy to find fans like that. Congratulations to Zalgiris, who managed to play the game they wanted, in the half-court. After the first quarter, we weren’t able to run the floor; we played the way they wanted us to, not the way we wanted to. Toward the end, our morale dropped, and we collapsed in the final 6–7 minutes, unable to close the gap. This is the EuroLeague; we have another game in 48 hours, and we have to be ready.”

The aftereffects of the game in Milan took their toll: “Maybe it’s true that we were riding a wave of adrenaline after Milan, but we were still ahead in the first quarter. And I don’t want to make excuses. We struggled on the boards and in the low post against a team bigger than us. Against a team that clamps down under the basket, the only way to break them down is to score from three-point range, and we didn’t do that.”

Regaining energy: “Maybe, but we played in the half-court because they didn’t let us run. At that pace, Zalgiris had more options; if we’d managed to play at our own pace, we would’ve had more.”