EuroLeague: Tornike Shengelia sweeps up MVP prize after guiding Virtus Segafredo Bologna to victory
- Planet Sport writer
- 20 October 2023
In his 225th career game, Tornike Shengelia returned to the MVP of the Round ranks thanks to his leadership Virtus Segafredo Bologna's 87-76 home win against ALBA Berlin on Wednesday.
Shengelia poured in 26 points by making 8 of 9 two-point shots and 7 of 8 free throws for what was his third-highest scoring total in 11 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague seasons. He also added 4 rebounds and 3 assists with 0 turnovers and 4 fouls drawn.
His performance index rating of 32 was the best among all players in Round 3 and boosted Virtus to its second victory in a row. It marked the seventh time in his career that Shengelia earned the MVP honor.
Behind him among Round 3 performers were Real Madrid teammates Vincent Poirier and Facundo Campazzo, with PIRs of 29 and 28, respectively.
Poirier came off the bench with 18 points, 7 rebounds and an assist while downing 7 of 8 two-pointers and 4 of 6 free throws as Real topped visiting Zalgiris Kaunas 93-79 on Tuesday.
Campazzo combined 18 points with 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals while hitting 3 of 4 two-point shots, 3 of 5 triples and 3 of 4 free throws.
Nando De Colo of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne came next with a 27 PIR based on his 25 points, 4 assists and 2 steals but couldn't prevent his team's 89-84 defeat at Anadolu Efes Istanbul.
The same fate befell Mathias Lessort despite his PIR of 25 after scoring 19 points and pulling 11 rebounds as Panathinaikos Athens lost 83-69 on the road to Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.
Individual highs: Tornike Shengelia, Virtus
Shengelia's 26 points for Virtus topped all scorers in Round 3. Nikola Mirotic of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan leads the league with an average of 23.5 points so far.
Nick Weiler-Babb of FC Bayern Munich and Jabari Parker of FC Barcelona pulled 11 rebounds each in this round. Tadas Sedekerskis of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz has 10.3 rebounds on average to lead those rankings.
Mike James of AS Monaco and Lorenzo Brown of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv each dished 11 assists in Round 3. Brown is the overall leader with 9.5 per game.
Six players had 3 steals each in Round 3. Shavon Shields of Milan leads the steals rankings with 2.5 per game so far.
Real teammates Poirier and Walter Tavares had 3 blocks each, the most of the round. Tavares and Serge Ibaka of FC Baern Munich are co-leaders in blocks at 2.5 per game.
Three players registered double-doubles in Round 3: James of Monaco (18 points, 11 assists), Brown of Maccabi (13 points, 11 assists) and Johannes Thiemann of ALBA Berlin (13 points, 10 rebounds.) Thiemann is the only EuroLeague players with 2 double-doubles in the first three games.
