Stellar start, Kyle Weems' steady hand enough for Virtus vs. Trieste / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Michele Nucci via ZUMA Press Wire Credit Michele Nucci via ZUMA Press Wire

Virtus Segafredo Bologna (20-3) maintained the lead in the Serie A standings with a comfortable 92-81(34-16, 20-24, 19-24, 19-17) win over Pallacanestro Trieste (10-14) on the road.

Virtus Bologna / Schedule

Virtus Bologna Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas70-68 JL Bourg Basket Virtus BolognaTue18:00

The guests, who played with an almost full roster including their big names (save long-time injured Marco Belinelli and Ekpe Udoh), Mouhammadou Jaiteh racked up a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 8 points and grabbing 3 boards in the first seven minutes.

But it was Kyle Weems with his 4/5 three-pointers and Isaia Cordinier with 12 points, who really made the difference when Trieste were trying to cut down the deficit.

Sergio Scariolo saw all of his stars chip in, as Daniel Hackett and Toko Shengelia scored 9 apiece, while Milos Teodosic had 8 points and 4 assists.

On the other hand, Adrian Banks, the Italian league's first scorer in 2020, lived up to his reputation by dropping 27 points on 10/15 from the field, but none of his teammates managed to help him offensively. Banks, who turned 36 last February, is averaging 15.1 points per game this season.

That was Trieste's seventh defeat in a row (eighth, with Coppa Italia included), a rather inevitable outcome from the moment Virtus got off on the right foot, taking an 18-point lead (34-16) in the first quarter.

Pallacanestro Trieste: Adrian Banks 27 (10/15 FG, 5/5 FT, 6 REB, 3 TO), Andrejs Grazulis 18 (7/14 FG, 1/2 FT, 7 REB), Marcos Delia 13 (6/8 FG, 1/1 FT, 7 REB), Sagaba Konate 8 (2/5 FT, 3 REB).

Virtus Segafredo Bologna: Mouhammadou Jaiteh 18 (8/11 FG, 2/2 FT, 10 REB), Kyle Weems 16 (6/8 FG, 4/5 3PT SHOTS, 3 AST), Isaia Cordinier 12 (5/8 FG), Amar Alibegovic 10, Daniel Hackett 9, Tornike Shengelia 9, Milos Teodosic 8 (2/7 FG, 4 AST).

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