A bitter EuroCup debut: Baglietto outplayed in Riga by a buzzer-beating basket
Riga Zelli – Baglietto Derthona Tortona 86-84
(31-21, 50-46, 63-62)
Row : Perkins 5, Shungu 23, Wahl 18, Sulcs 9, Feierbergs, Kikusts, Varnas 10, Cavars, Talcis, Berzins 3, Johnson 12, Tkachenko 6. All. Kondratavicius.
Derthona : Hubb 16, Gorham 12, Pecchia 1, A. Alibegovic 8, Zumstein ne, Bortolani 10, Olejniczak 14, Maddox 10, Gazzotti, Jallow 8, Durham 5. Coach Fioretti
Referees : Pitsilkas (GRE), Vyklicky (CZE), Lepetic (MNE).
Spectators : 3.893
A stinging defeat opens Baglietto Derthona Tortona's journey to the BKT Eurocup. At the Xiaomi Arena in Riga, the black and white team is punished by a buzzer-beating basket from Shungu, who with a free-throw shot from the elbow with just 4 seconds left to make it 86-84 for home team Riga Zelli, also making their debut in the competition on the first day of Group A of the regular season.
Thus, it was the Latvian team's best player, American point guard Benjamin Shungu, who thwarted Derthona's admirable late comeback attempt. They rallied from a five-point deficit with 49 seconds left, then tied the score with a Hubb drive in the paint to make it 84, which with 14 seconds left seemed like overtime. After the Riga playmaker's basket, Baglietto finally lost the game on a desperate last-ditch throw from the offensive three-quarter line after returning from a timeout, with Alibegovic narrowly missing a fly-ball near the rim for a potential overtime goal.
The Baltics thus took the two points in the standings, leading for much of the half, relying primarily on their numerous shots from beyond the arc (12-of-29 from three) and Shungu's lively shooting both near and far (he also had 7 assists and 6 rebounds). Tortona tenaciously stayed in contact, making their only lead late in the third quarter thanks to two consecutive three-pointers from Prentiss Hubb, the most consistent player (Derthona's top scorer with 16 points and 4-of-7 from three, plus 6 assists) along with Justin Gorham, who, with several late rebounds (11 in total), kept the door open for Baglietto to win.
The match
Also absent from Latvia were Paul Eboua and Edoardo Di Meo for the Bianconeri. The first quarter was marked by an early 5-for-5 three-pointer, with Riga taking the lead from the start. This was driven by the shooting accuracy of Sulcs and center Johnson, who combined for 17 points in the first period, during which the home team consistently challenged Derthona's defense. Up front, the Bianconeri found Hubb to answer the Latvians' challenge from beyond the arc, and Olejniczak's 3-for-3 proved accurate in the paint. However, Riga's lead in the first quarter was double digits, climbing to over 30 points, 31-21.
In the second period, Baglietto showed a different side. Bortolani immediately led the way 4-0, while Pecchia's lively pace and Alibegovic's physicality helped the Bianconeri restore control in the defensive half and forced their opponents to draw fouls early. After reaching a four-point deficit (34-30), Riga's high tempo pushed Tortona back to a new maximum deficit after a Shungu three-pointer, making it 43-32 midway through the period. Despite a few fits and starts, Derthona still came back with the play-pivot duo of Hubb and Olejniczak, with the American (5 assists at halftime) building plays that the Pole converted into baskets (10 points on 5-of-5 two-pointers at halftime) for a 47-44 lead with a minute to go. The Latvian side closed the gap at 50-46 after Maddox's game-winning drive at the buzzer.
Riga came out of the locker room in the best position (55-48), at least until Hubb's aforementioned outburst to make it 55-60, putting Derthona ahead for the first time after 28 minutes of play. However, the black-and-white streak didn't last long, and the main "blame" fell to Shungu, who hit a three-pointer at the buzzer that kept the Baltics ahead at the end of the third quarter, 63-62.
Bortolani struck again at the start of the final quarter, both of his long-range baskets keeping the game even, despite the Shungu-Wahl duo attempting to pull away from the home team, 77-70 with six minutes remaining. The final minutes of the game were thrilling, allowing Derthona to close the gap. A coast-to-coast defensive rebound from Jallow, two free throws from Maddox, and a 3-pointer from an increasingly dominant Gorham tied the score at 79 with exactly 90 seconds left. Riga struck again, with a surgical Tkachenko hitting a 3-pointer and Shungu extending the lead to 84-79 by five with 49 seconds remaining. Tortona's desperate comeback began there, led by a 3-pointer from Alibegovic and a drive from Hubb to tie the score at 84 with 14 seconds left. Then Shungu takes care of preventing the match from going beyond regulation time.
The statements
Coach Mario Fioretti: "We started off pretty poorly on defense. We were forced to chase for most of the game, and then we took the lead with that five-point lead thanks to Hubb's two three-pointers. I'd say it was a close game for the entire twenty minutes, ultimately decided by a shot. We're disappointed we weren't able to start the way we wanted. Obviously, the pressure mounted in the final quarter. Sometimes we pushed the pace a bit too much, and we missed a few shots towards the end. These things can happen when you get off to a bad start. You make an effort to get back into the game, but then at the crucial moment, you can't bring it home."
