Hall's Buzzer-Beater Lifts Milan Past Bologna 87-85 in Tense Euroleague Derby

The Euroleague derby between Armani Milano and Virtus Bologna came down to the final buzzer, with Devon Hall's left-handed jumper giving the Milanese side an 87-85 victory and their first Euroleague win of the season following their loss to Partizan. According to ANSA, Bologna remains winless in the competition.

A Match on Edge

Already in the first half, Hackett and Mathews had been penalized with double technical fouls after a scuffle, while in the stands two fans came to blows. According to ANSA, among the crowd a child wearing a Teodosic jersey reportedly burst into tears, frightened by the tense atmosphere.

At the final whistle tensions did not ease: players were separated by staff, and Diarra, author of 15 points and 7 rebounds, reportedly left the court making an obscene gesture to Forum fans, according to ANSA.

The Buzzer-Beater

Milano had built a lead as large as +15 (41-26) in the second quarter, only to allow Bologna back within four points before halftime. From there the match, as Il Giorno describes it, became "a roller coaster game": Bologna even found the lead (66-67) with two free throws from Bello, before a chaotic final quarter.

With 4 seconds remaining Diarra tied the game, with the match seemingly headed to overtime. Then Hall arrived, who had scored the Armani's last seven consecutive points: first a three-pointer for the lead with a minute to go, then the decisive basket at the buzzer.

According to Il Giorno, Hall finished with 12 points, 10 of which came in the final quarter. Also notable for Milano were 14 points from Marko Guduric and 23 combined points from Thompson and Cole, who also played key roles facilitating the offense. For Milano, next comes a new European away game: on Friday Armani will visit Vitoria against Baskonia coached by Paolo Galbiati.