EuroCup's Virtus Bologna no match for EuroLeague's FC Bayern / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Virtus Segafredo Bologna Credit Virtus Segafredo Bologna

FC Bayern Munich defeated Virtus Segafredo Bologna 90-66 (25-21, 18-16, 24-16, 23-13) to book a matchup in the Magenta Cup tournament's final against Crvena Zvezda Belgrade.

The EuroCup team was the first to break out and build a more meaningful lead. Behind Marco Belinelli, Bologna went on a 7-0 run to take the lead 9-2. But FC Bayern stuck close and after a 3-pointer from Jason George, the German team took the lead (13-11). It was followed by few more successful baskets and as Bayern's lead grew to six points, Sergio Scariolo called his first time out.

The teams settled into fast pace groove as the quarter ended with a score of 25-21 Bayern's way. High-pace basketball continued at the start of the second, with the EuroLeague team slowly pulling away. After Andreas Obst 3-pointer with 8:11 to play, Munich's lead reached double-digits (34-21). However, Belinelli quickly responded with his own triple, to keep the Italian club close. Teams continued trading baskets and went into halftime with a score of 43-37.

Ognjen Jaramaz and Deshaun Thomas led FC Bayern with 9 points each, while Belinelli scored 12 and Udoh added 8 for Virtus.

The third quarter produced an evenly contested matchup as well. Five straight points by Hilliard increased Bayern's lead to 52-45 midway through the third quarter. But as usual, Marco Belinelli was quick to answer with a long-range shot. However, the German team closed the period on an 11-2 run to open a more sizeable lead before the final frame (67-53).

In the fourth, the EuroLeague team continued to pull away from their opponents from the EuroCup. Andrea Trinchieri's men displayed excellent ball movement, which led to open shots. After Obst 3-pointer with 3:29 to play, the score became 82-61.

At this point, the game appeared to be out of reach for the Italian club. FC Bayern put another 20+ quarter and sealed the victory.

Darrun Hilliard led the Munich team with 15 points. After the game, he acknowledged his readiness to be the new go-to guy for the German squad. He also praised the team's philosophy on the offensive end. "We need to compete on the defensive end. If we do those things, we have a full-go on offense."

Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.