Maxima blows it in the final stretch; Cotelli: “If you give up 33 points in the fourth quarter…”
Maxima Roma came close to pulling off an upset in Bologna, but Virtus, when its back was against the wall (-11 in the fourth quarter), fought back and turned the game around, winning 98–89.
“We’ve made progress since the game against Napoli. We knew this would be a very tough road game, and if you give up 33 points in the fourth quarter, everything becomes even harder. We need to grow; the players need to get to know each other better—we need time. We have to do a better job of limiting our opponents’ runs,” said the Rome coach, Matteo Cotelli, as reported by Bologna Basket
This marks Maxima Roma’s second consecutive loss to start the season, following their home defeat in the season opener against Jasmin Repesa’s Napoli Basket, which won decisively at the PalaEur, 94–75. On that occasion, Cotelli made no excuses: “They destroyed our game. We weren’t ready; we couldn’t control the pace or limit turnovers,” the coach admitted.
The Rome-based team, born from the vision of entrepreneur Paul Matiasic—who acquired Brescia’s franchise to bring top-tier basketball back to the capital—thus remains at zero points in the standings after two games. It’s been a difficult start, one that clashes with the expectations generated by a highly respected roster built around NBA- and EuroLeague-caliber players such as Aaron Holiday, Xavier Moon, Matt Ryan, and John Brown III, alongside established stars of the Italian league like Miro Bilan, Carl Wheatle, Brynton Lemar, and Mirza Alibegovic.
In the background looms anticipation for the city derby against BC Roma, which also remains winless after two games. It’s a matchup that Francesco Totti—the club’s advisor tasked with developing the fanbase—had already circled in red on his calendar: “If they invite me to the derby on October 11, I’ll be there,” the legendary Giallorossi captain had declared. For Maxima, however, before thinking about the derby, it will be essential to find consistency and team chemistry, as Cotelli himself emphasized in the post-game interview in Bologna.
