Gibson, Triche lead Virtus Rome to second win


Virtus Rome survived a thriller by downing SLUC Nancy 84-79 in the Italian capital in Group C on Wednesday. Rome improved to 2-0 in Group C while Nancy dropped to 1-1. Kyle Gibson paced the winners with 19 points. Maxime De Zeeuw and Brandon Triche each added 16 while Bobby Jones had 13 for Rome. Sergii Gladyr led Nancy with 20 points. Darius Adams added 16 while Bandja Sy and Randal Falker each had 12 for the guests. Falker added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Lollo D'Ercole and De Zeeuw allowed Rome to get a 23-18 lead early in the second quarter. The hosts led 42-38 at halftime but a three-point play by Florent Pietrus put Nancy ahead, 42-43, after the break. Gibson had 8 points in a 10-0 run but Sy and Adams helped Nancy regain the lead, 59-60. The game turned into a thriller while Pietrus made it a one-point game, 80-79, in the final minute. Melvin Ejim scored down low, Gladyr missed from downtown and free throws by Gibson sealed the outcome down the stretch.

Nancy opened the game with an 0-8 run which Gladyr capped with a three-pointer. Jones and Gibson stepped up for Rome and a three-pointer by Triche gave the hosts their first lead, 12-10. Darius Adams and Gladyr answered from downtown but Jones, Triche and Ejim helped Rome tie the game, 18-18, at the end of the first quarter. D'Ercole downed a triple and free throws by De Zeeuw made it a five-point game, 23-18. Pietrus and Gladyr stepped up for Nancy and a jumper by Adams brought the guests within 27-26. Jones and Triche kept pacing Rome but Gladyr and Falker kept Nancy as close as 35-33. Rome went on a 7-0 run that Jordan Morgan capped with a layup but Benjamin Sene and Adams kept the guests within 42-38 at halftime. A jumper by Falker and a three-point play by Pietrus restored a 42-43 Nancy edge right after the break. It didn't last long, however, as Gibson had 8 unanswered points in a 10-0 run which gave Rome a 54-46 margin. The hosts' lead peaked at 59-50 on another jumper by Gibson. Sy and Adams struck from downtown in a 0-10 Nancy run that gave the guests a 59-60 edge. Rok Stipcevic helped Rome tie the game, 64-64, after 30 minutes. Nancy struggled to score early in the fourth quarter and De Zeeuw gave Rome a 71-67 lead. Nancy found a go-to guy in Falker, who got help from Gladyr and Adams to make it a one-point game, 78-77, with 2 minutes left. De Zeeuw and Pietrus exchanged baskets but a layup by Ejim and free throws by Gibson allowed Rome to add its second win in Group C.