Our man in Finland, Hippo, checks in with the latest on The Finnagler. Hey, Luke Jackson sighting. Also, happy Finnish Independence Day to everyone. We get the day off from work for that, right? I will assume yes. Itsenäisyyspäivä!

Just over a week ago Petteri Koponen's 18-point outburst lead his Virtus Bologna to a surprise victory over Serie A leading Air Avellino. It might be too dramatic to say that Saturday's game between Virtus and Pepsi Caserta was "back to reality" type of performance for the Finn, since Koponen was the only Virtus player with positive +/- ratio in the game. Despite that, we can't escape the fact that Koponen might have left his shooting hand in the locker room after that Avellino game.

Pepsi Caserta is a tough team. Excluding Jumaine Jones, there are no true European level superstars in that team, but the team is full of experienced, gritty players who will do whatever it takes to hustle their way to victory. While Virtus fans might have been expecting a blowout for the home team, they found themselves shocked when Caserta took a 22-31 lead after a skirmish between Virtus back-up center Michele Maggioli and Caserta Frenchman Claude Marquis. Georgian banger Viktor Sanikidze provided adrenaline for the home team at the end of second quarter and brought Virtus back to 32-34.

Unfortunately for Virtus, the third quarter eventually became a one-man show. Experienced Italian point guard Fabio Di Bella managed to escape from Koponen and Scoonie Penn time after time, scoring 15 points while taking his team up 45-55. Virtus tried a desperate comeback and their pressure defense ended up with a load of steals (Koponen had 4, Dusan Vukcevic 3 and Michele Maggioli 2), but excluding Scoonie Penn (3pt 5-6), Virtus' shots just weren't falling. In the end, Virtus forced Caserta to the charity stripe, but Caserta drained 28 out of whopping 39 free throws and ended up winning 72-84.

Koponen started the game alongside Penn, switching between shooting guard and point guard duties. While Koponen's shot wasn't falling (fg 2-7) and Di Bella caught fire when guarded by him, Koponen's presence and hustle were needed during that fourth quarter comeback attempt. The loss dropped Virtus to the seventh spot in Serie A rankings. Virtus has won five out of its first eight games.

Next Sunday, Koponen celebrates Finland's Independence Day playing an away game at Carife Ferrara, winners of two out of eight. It is surely a must-win game for Virtus, since a loss to the cellar-dweller would most likely create minor havoc and force team owner Claudio Sabatini to recruit more players. Ferrara is lead by former NBA players Harold Jamison and Luke Jackson, Louisville point guard Anthony Grundy and Swedish power forward Oluoma Nnamaka.

Virtus Bologna - Pepsi Caserta 72-84 (18-17, 32-34, 45-55)

Virtus: Scoonie Penn 19/1, Viktor Sanikidze 13/12, David Moss 8/3/5 ast. Caserta: Fabio Di Bella 21/2, Jumaine Jones 17/14/3 stl, Timothy Jermaine Bowers 11/4/5 ast.

Petteri Koponen: Min 28, Pts 7, 2p 1/2, 3p 1/5, Ft 2/3, Reb 3, Ast 1, Stl 4, To 1, Pf 5, Start.

-Hippo

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