Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz continued its EuroLeague resurgence by defeating Virtus Bologna 87–76 on Friday night, securing its third consecutive win and improving to 3–6 on the season.
The Basque side, which began the campaign with six straight losses, has transformed defensively since integrating Kobi Simmons and regaining Rodions Kurucs from injury. After conceding 96 points per game during the rough start, opponents have averaged just 77.3 points over the past three contests.
Against Virtus, Baskonia’s balance on both ends made the difference. The hosts jumped to a 23–14 lead after the first quarter and maintained control through steady scoring from multiple contributors. Despite a strong showing by Virtus forward Sailou Niang, who delivered career highs with 18 points and 12 rebounds, Paolo Galbiati’s team dictated the tempo from start to finish.
Virtus cut the deficit to 59–57 late in the third quarter following a surge led by Chris Edwards and Marco Belinelli. But when the game tightened, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot responded decisively.
The French swingman sparked a 17–1 run alongside Matteo Spagnolo and Markquis Nowell, hitting a deep three-pointer, assisting Nowell for another from the wing, and converting two free throws. That burst restored a 75–59 cushion that Virtus never recovered from.
Luwawu-Cabarrot finished with 16 points, scoring half of them in the final period. Hamidou Diallo added 14, including a highlight alley-oop dunk off a no-look assist from Nowell. Kurucs and Tadas Sedekerskis chipped in 13 apiece, while Simmons dished out eight assists to orchestrate the offense.
Baskonia shot 62.5% inside the arc and 40.7% from deep while limiting Virtus to 44.7% two-point accuracy. The victory marked the team’s first three-game winning streak since December 2023.
The Spanish club now faces a challenging double road trip, playing Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv in Sofia on Tuesday before meeting Maccabi Tel Aviv in Belgrade two days later. Virtus, now 5–4, will host Anadolu Efes on Tuesday before traveling to Barcelona in Round 11.
