Euroleague, Maccabi doesn't give discounts: eighth European defeat in a row for Virtus Bologna

Belgrade (Serbia), March 20, 2025 – At the Alexandar Nikolic Arena in Belgrade The eighth consecutive defeat in the Euroleague arrives for Virtus Segafredo Bologna which lost 77-67 against Maccabi Tel Aviv. A defeat that does not fully tell the story of the game. And to say that the premises of the evening seemed very different, because the black and whites started off on the right foot even reaching +10: from the second quarter, however, the Israelis - on the wings of Rokas Jokubaitis (best scorer of his team with 19 points) and also thanks to the zone defense that stopped Bologna's attack – they changed pace placing a 27-16 partial for the +9 at half time (42-33). After the break, when John Clark took the stage, the final push came from the yellow and blues who even reached +24 before slowing down and leaving room for a Virtus that in the fourth quarter tried to make the deficit less bitter. The substance remains, however, another heavy knockout for Ivanovic's men, who ran into yet another night to forget in three-point shooting (18% final) and were unable to put up any real resistance against a much more reactive Maccabi and capable of holding the Bolognese attack back for long stretches.

Race report

Segafredo got off to a flying start, immediately raising the pace of the transition, managing to find Zizic and Shengelia under the basket and easily reaching the target, making it 12-2. As the minutes passed, however, Maccabi – also using zone defense – managed to slow down Virtus' attack and, driven by the first flashes of Jokubaitis, slowly closed the gap, finding the -2 with Jimmy Clark at the end of the first quarter (15-17). At the start of the second quarter, the Israelis remained in contact and, at 17-19, even had possession of the possible overtaking that Williams wasted. An inaccuracy that risked costing them dearly, because Virtus took advantage of it and, dragged by Pajola's determination, tried a new acceleration, scoring a 6-0 minibreak that was worth a new +8 (17-25). However, the black and whites did not take full advantage of the favorable moment and lost the thread of the story with the attack that once again got stuck in quicksand and the defense that left itself open to the initiatives of a Maccabi capable of filling the gap and even putting the arrow of the overtaking the axis composed of Sorkin and Jokubaitis (first player in double figures with 12 points in the first 20'), then even extending the lead to +9 at the long break, at the height of a 25-8 partial signed in just over 7'. After the break, things do not seem to improve at all for coach Ivanovic's men, who continue to struggle with the basket (four consecutive three-point misses) and they pay for a fast of almost 4' with a further 7-0 for the yellow and blues, which makes them slip to -16 (49-33). A dunk by Shengelia is needed to give the black and whites a jolt and, thanks also to the first, real flashes by Cordinier, they come back to -10 (51-41). Too little, however, to create problems for a Maccabi that rekindles with the triple by Clark, who takes the weight of the yellow and blue attack on his shoulders and, with eight points scored in less than 2', launches the new run by the Israelis who write the new maximum advantage on the scoreboard at 65-43. The 65-45 at the end of the third quarter makes things easier for Kattash's men who at the dawn of the last quarter extend their lead to 71-47, but then they significantly take their hands off the handlebars well in advance, exposing themselves to the pride of Virtus who attempts a desperate comeback, which however runs aground at -10 with 10" to go on Zizic's free throws and substantially doesn't scare Maccabi that much who in the end easily manages to take home the victory.