Rome beats Cedevita to grab share of first in Group I

Virtus Rome held off Cedevita Zagreb 73-66 to claim a share of first place in Group I at 2-1 alongside Cedevita. Kyle Gibson scored 19 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting and Jordan Morgan controlled the paint with 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the hosts. Morgan had 8 of the team’s 17 offensive rebounds. Melvin Ejim added 13 points and 7 boards for Rome. Tomislav Zubcic paced Cedevita with 15 points and 8 rebounds and Miro Bilan scored 12. Rok Stipcevic scored twice in a 10-0 run late in the second quarter that gave Rome a 39-31 halftime lead. Cedevita stormed back with a 0-14 charge of its own, but the hosts’ strung together 8 straight points late to guarantee the win.

Cedevita had the lead early after a Marko Arapovic triple, but Rok Stipcevic and Morgan connected from downtown in a 10-0 Rome run for a 14-5 lead. Marko Tomas countered with a three, but the hosts continued to roll and extended the difference to 19-8 through Ejim. Luka babic and Mario Delas lowered the difference to 19-12 after 10 minutes. Threes by Tomas and Nemanja Gordic carried the visitors to within 21-20 early in the second. Delas put Cedevita ahead and Babic increased the difference to 21-24. Rome responded and a Zubcic three tied the game at 27-27. Rome pulled away with a 10-0 run in which Stipcevic scored twice. Roko Ukic’s first points made it 39-31 at the break.

Pilepic and Morgan traded jumpers right after the break and a layup by Gibson made it a double-digit game, 43-33. Ukic and Babic fueled a 0-6 run Cedevita run which Zubcic capped with a dunk. Gibson struck from downtown, igniting a 7-0 run which Ejim capped with a jumper for a 50-41 Rome lead. Zubcic nailed a couple of triples and Bilan scored twice around the basket to make Cedevita get a 50-53 lead after 10 minutes. Zubcic capped a 0-14 Cedevita run with a layup but Gibson and Lollo D'Ercole soon tied it at 55-55. Bilan scored twice in the paint but a jumper by Ejim and a three-pointer by Gibson made Rome regain the lead, 60-59. Pilepic and Triche exchanged baskets and a three-pointer by Ukic put Cedevita in charge, 62-64. Morgan and Jones fueled an 8-0 run that gave Rome the lead for good, 70-64, in the next-to-last minute. A big triple by Gibson allowed the hosts to seal their win in style.