Baglietto makes a comeback! From a 13-point deficit at the start of the second half, Burgos overturns and finds a smile again in the BKT EuroCup.
Baglietto Derthona Tortona – Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos 89-79
(18-25, 36-45, 58-62)
Derthona : Eboua 3, Hubb 16, Gorham 15, Pecchia, A. Alibegovic 12, Di Meo ne, Bortolani 18, Olejniczak 8, Maddox 3, Gazzotti ne, Jallow 8, Durham 6. Coach Fioretti.
San Pablo Burgos : Audige 9, Steward 22, Samar 9, Koprivica 14, Almazan 1, Diez 3, Guerrero 4, Radosavljevic 1, Sengfelder 2, Doumbouya 11, Lobaco 3, Taboada. Coach: Fisac.
Referees : Bissang (FRA), Theis (GER), Akkusoglu (TUR).
Spectators : 1819.
Trailing by 13 points in the opening minutes of the third quarter, Baglietto Derthona Tortona showed the spirited response they'd been searching for and turned the tables to secure a valuable BKT EuroCup victory. At the Nova Arena in Tortona, Mario Fioretti's team defeated Spanish side Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos 89-79 on the fourth day of the regular season in Group A.
After spending a good part of the match chasing their opponents, the Bianconeri Lions relied on a convincing defense to stop an opponent who had been well led up to that point by the scoring skills of former Trento player Steward and the presence in the paint of 2.16 Koprivica, and found several players in attack to come back and then extend the lead. The consistency of Bortolani, Baglietto's top scorer with 18 points, and Gorham, the concreteness near the rim of Alibegovic (6/6 two-point shooting), the many offensive rebounds of Olejniczak (6) and the 16 points all coming in the second half by Hubb (also 7 assists), allowed them to take home what on the eve of the match looked like a direct clash.
The match
Baglietto started with a new starting five, Durham at control and Hubb coming off the bench. Burgos started the game, leading 4-11 after just two and a half minutes, thanks to a few too many errors under the opposing basket and a couple of defensive lapses by Tortona. Jallow and Gorham started well on offense, helping to quickly close the gap (14-15), which reopened in the visitors' favor following a three-pointer by Lobaco, which gave the Spanish team a 25-18 lead that sent the first break into the game.
In the second quarter, Baglietto seemed to be more aggressive. Bortolani's three-pointer brought the deficit back to within two, and Olejniczak's dunk—also a key offensive rebounder—kept it there shortly after (27-29 at 14'). The Bianconeri also had a chance to take the lead, but missed a couple of times, and Burgos again broke the deadlock, starting with Sigar's three-pointer. In the final three minutes of the first half, the score went 3-11, giving the team a nine-point lead at halftime, 36-45.
At the start of the second half, the visitors further tightened their lead, reaching a 13-pointer (36-49 after Steward's three-pointer). Hubb, with seven consecutive points, including a four-pointer, attempted to spark a surge (44-51 in the 23rd minute). And it was another burst of energy from the American point guard that forced coach Fisac to call a timeout, with Derthona up 53-57 with two and a half minutes left in the third quarter. The lead remained intact even at the buzzer, with Durham scoring a three-pointer just before the end to make it 58-62 in the 30th minute.
Alibegovic's six-pointer in the paint and a mid-range jumper from Bortolani finally put Baglietto ahead for the first time in the game, 66-65 a minute and a half into the final period. While the home team was in a strong run, they even climbed to a four-point lead (71-67), but the momentum shifted once again toward the Spanish side, with a 7-0 run from Steward putting Burgos back in front, 71-74 in the 34th minute. Hubb responded again from the 20-foot arc to tie the score at 76-76 with 4:30 remaining, and from there on, the Lions continued to surge forward on offense and defense. Bortolani's three-pointer at the buzzer, assisted by Hubb (79-77 with 2:30 remaining), Olejniczak's hook shot, and Gorham's dunk made it 83-77 with a minute left. There Burgos surrenders and Derthona finds other points to widen the margin to a precious +10 in view of the double match.
Baglietto thus rises to 4 points in the standings, 2 points ahead of the Spanish team.
In the BKT EuroCup, Derthona will return to play at home again next week, on Wednesday, October 28th, at 19:30 pm against the German team Rostock Seawolves, a match preceded on Sunday 25th by the midday match again at the Nova Arena against Napoli Basketball, for the fifth day of the LBA Serie A SisalClub.
The statements
Coach Mario Fioretti: "We didn't start the game well, we lost too many balls, we didn't draw fouls when we could have, and they easily drove into the paint for the first twenty minutes. We completely changed our game two minutes into the third quarter, when we were down 13. We played one of the best defenses of our season for two periods, staying connected and sharing the ball on offense. It was a tough game for us, but it was also tough for them, without a doubt. I'm happy for the guys; they worked hard to make things better."
(PHOTOCREDIT: CASTORIA-CIAMILLO AGENCY)
