Stipcevic leads Rome to key home win


In a thriller than went down to the final minute, Virtus Rome bounced back from its first loss in Group C by edging EWE Baskets Oldenburg 83-81 in the Italian capital on Wednesday. Rome improved to 4-1 and ties with SLUC Nancy for first place while Oldenburg dropped to 1-4. Rok Stipcevic paced the winners with 23 points, including 3 critical triples in the final 4 minutes. Jordan Morgan added 14 while Brandon Triche had 13 for Rome. Adam Chubb led Oldenburg with 18 points. Nemanja Aleksandrov and Casper Ware each added 14 while Maurice Stuckey had 13 for the guests, which led 17-21 late in the first quarter. A 12-0 run that Lollo D'Ercole capped with a layup gave Rome a 29-21 edge but Oldenburg got within 43-42 at halftime and used a 0-10 run to get a 43-52 margin right after the break. Oldenburg boosted its lead to 54-66 after 30 minutes and kept a 64-73 edge with 6 minutes left. Rome improved its defense and found a go-to guy in Stipcevic, who led a 16-1 run that gave the hosts a 80-74 lead. Chubb stepped up with back-to-back baskets but Stipcevic rounded his great game with a three-pointer that sealed the outcome.

Triche and Morgan shined early to give Rome a 6-2 lead. Ware stepped up with consecutive baskets but Morgan and Bobby Jones kept the hosts ahead, 10-6. Three-pointers by Chris Kramer and Ware gave Oldenburg its first lead, 11-12. Triche and Kyle Gibson joined the three-point shootout for a 17-14 Rome lead but Aleksandrov, Rickey Paulding and Kramer led a 0-7 run which put Oldenburg back in charge, 17-21. Maxime De Zeeuw allowed the hosts to get a 25-21 edge after 10 minutes. Lollo D'Ercole scored off a steal for a 29-21 Rome edge, after a 12-0 run. Chubb hit a jumper and Dominic Lockhart struck from downtown but Stipcevic and De Zeeuw kept Rome ahead, 34-26. Oldenburg improved its defense, as Ware and Stuckey brought the guests as close as 38-35. Stipcevic and Triche tried to change things for Rome but a dunk by Philipp Neumann fixed the halftime score at 43-42. Stuckey and Aleksandrov struck from downtown in a 0-10 run that gave Oldenburg a 43-52 margin right after the break. A free throw by Neumann soon made it a 12-point game, 45-57. Three-pointers by Stipcevic and Daniele Sandri brought Rome closer, 53-60, but Ware and Kramer restored a 54-66 Oldenburg margin after 30 minutes. Chubb stepped up early in the fourth quarter to keep Oldenburg way ahead, 64-73, with over 6 minutes left. Rome improved its defense while Triche and Gibson got the hosts within 69-73. De Zeeuw split free throws and Stipcevic struck from downtown to tie it at 73-73. Morgan made free throws and another three-pointer by Stipcevic gave the hosts a 78-74 edge with under 2 minutes left. Morgan scored again but back-to-back baskets by Chubb kept Oldenburg within 80-78 already in the final minute. A three-pointer by Stipcevic sealed the outcome, 83-78, as the guests could not recover.