Carsen Edwards picked the perfect moment to remind everyone why Virtus Bologna made him the centerpiece of their offseason rebuild.
The American guard scored a season-high 24 points to lead Virtus to a 77–73 home win over AS Monaco on Wednesday night, helping the Italian club even its EuroLeague record at 2–2.
Coming off back-to-back road defeats, Virtus needed a lift, and Edwards delivered it. The former Boston Celtic scored 8 points in the opening quarter, setting the tone against a Monaco squad led by Nikola Mirotic, who drew boos from the PalaDozza crowd due to his previous stint with Milan.
Edwards’ shot-making and poise steadied Virtus throughout the night. He hit from deep, attacked the basket, and was perfect from the free-throw line, converting all seven of his attempts. His final two free throws, with just over a minute remaining, halted Monaco’s 8–0 run and sealed the narrow win.
Teammate Luca Vildoza, who added 8 points and 3 assists, praised Edwards’ performance afterward. “I’m just proud,” Vildoza said. “I like playing with him. He showed last year the kind of player he is, and I’m just really happy being next to him.”
Virtus displayed balance behind its lead scorer. Semi Niang chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds, while Abou Diarra added 8 points and 5 boards off the bench. As a team, Virtus shot 46.9% inside the arc and 87.5% from the foul line, offsetting Monaco’s 42.3% accuracy from three-point range.
Monaco, also 2–2, was led by Mirotic’s 16 points, while Daniel Theis and Alpha Diallo scored 10 and 11 respectively. The visitors rallied late after trailing 74–62, but their comeback fell short when Edwards and Virtus closed out strong defensively.
Virtus will now look to maintain momentum when it visits ASVEL on Friday, aiming for its first winning streak of the season. Monaco returns home the same night to host Valencia Basket in search of a rebound performance.
