Venezia stuns Virtus Bologna 86-82 in thrilling Serie A upset victory

Umana Reyer Venezia pulled off a stunning upset at the Virtus Arena, defeating home favorites Virtus Bologna 86-82 in the 25th round of Serie A. The victory brings Venezia within just two points of Bologna in the standings, while Brescia has now tied Virtus at the top with an identical 18-5 record.

The game remained tightly contested through three quarters, with neither team able to establish a commanding lead. Bologna managed their largest advantage of six points during regulation, while Venezia’s maximum lead reached four points. The decisive moments came in the fourth quarter when Venezia surged to a nine-point advantage before Bologna rallied to tie the game at 80-80 with 2:20 remaining.

Tessitori dominates in clutch performance

Amedeo Tessitori delivered a phenomenal performance for the visitors, recording a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds while shooting a perfect 8-of-8 from the field. Despite sitting out the final three minutes, Tessitori had already secured MVP honors with his dominant display, finishing with 33 efficiency rating and drawing five fouls.

R.J. Cole orchestrated Venezia’s offense brilliantly, contributing 12 points and a remarkable 14 assists while recording five steals. Jordan Parks added 15 points in a crucial supporting role, while Kyle Wiltjer provided 14 points and proved instrumental in the closing moments, converting crucial free throws to seal the victory.

For Virtus Bologna, Matt Morgan led all scorers with 23 points and five assists, while Alen Smailagic contributed 15 points and six rebounds. However, the home team struggled with poor shooting percentages, particularly from beyond the arc, which prevented them from pulling away despite multiple opportunities.

The game’s turning point came in the final 90 seconds when Venezia converted 6-of-7 free throws to secure the victory. Their superior ball movement was evident throughout, recording 25 assists as a team while maintaining exceptional concentration with only five turnovers compared to 10 steals.

Coach Neven Spahija praised his team’s resilience after the victory: « I want to really congratulate our team. Our guys were under so much pressure last week because we lost one game. For me it shouldn’t be like this: the championship is like a marathon, and instead as soon as we lose a single game it seems like a complete disaster. »

With this victory, Venezia improves to 17-6 and moves into fourth place in the Serie A standings. They will next host Brescia at the Taliercio in what promises to be another crucial matchup. Meanwhile, Virtus Bologna will look to bounce back in their upcoming EuroLeague home game against Bayern Munich.