Virtus Bologna Returns to Winning Ways; Alex Mumbrú Is Frank About the Performance Against Verona

After a streak of four consecutive losses in both the league and the EuroLeague, Virtus Bologna returned to winning ways on Monday night in the late game of the seventh round of Serie A against Tezenis Verona: The final score was 95-81 in favor of the Vu nere, who built their victory in the second and fourth quarters, led by Jermaine Samuels’ 20 points, Wendell Moore’s 18, and Trent Frazier’s 17. In his postgame comments, Alex Mumbrú made no secret of his relief at the two points earned and the team’s return to the top of the standings.

“It was a particularly tricky game for us after four straight home losses,” said the Bianconeri coach. “You could see right from the opening minutes how tense we were, as evidenced by the many missed free throws. Verona played a strong game and caused us several problems, but in the second half we managed to set the pace we wanted and take control of the game.”

“We’re a young team with little experience; it’s normal to go through ups and downs,” added Mumbrú. The most important thing is to keep growing; first and foremost, though, I want to thank our fans, because after our recent performances, it was by no means a given that we’d receive such warm support.”

“We struggled on the boards for long stretches, even though we managed to limit their impact better in the fourth quarter. We know our initial approach wasn’t up to par, but we were coming off some emotionally draining losses, and it wasn’t easy to bounce back. Inexperience leads to this, too, but we’re working every day to build an increasingly solid and competitive Virtus,” concluded the Virtus Bologna coach.