Baglietto loses in overtime in a regret-filled trip to Ljubljana: Cedevita Olimpija wins in a sprint.
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana – Baglietto Derthona Tortona 73-71 ET
(16-20, 27-36, 44-50, 65-65)
Ljubljana : Cowan 9, Gainey 9, Lomazs 16, Ustun ne, Blazic ne, Osifo, Cerkvenik, Hurt 9, Kirkwood 12, Kroflic 2, Skara 4, Johnson 12. All. Mitrovic.
Derthona : Eboua 11, Hubb 4, Gorham 12, Pecchia 6, A. Alibegovic 5, Di Meo ne, Bortolani 3, Olejniczak 6, Maddox 13, Gazzotti ne, Jallow 2, Durham 9. Coach Fioretti.
Referees : Panther (GER), Padros (ESP), Tsimpouris (GRE).
Spectators : 1.512
Two and a half hours of play, a miracle to send the game to overtime at the buzzer of regulation time, a constant barrage of free throw misses to prevent the game from winning in overtime, and the bitterness of the final seconds rewarded the home team, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. The regret-filled match at the Stozice Arena ended 73-71 for the Slovenians against Baglietto Derthona Tortona, who had come close to securing their first road win of the season on several occasions and securing a crucial first spot in their playoff spot in Group A of the BKT EuroCup. Ultimately, the Bianconeri were forced to see their record in the European competition equaled after six regular-season rounds, winning three and losing three.
The match
From a 12-point lead at the start of the second half—a 27-39 score by Olejniczak, completing the positive work of the Maddox-Durham duo straddling halftime—to a 5-point deficit with 16" left in regulation, 64-59, which was narrowly recovered with two three-pointers, one immediately from Bortolani and a miracle from the corner by Gorham—with the precious help of an offensive rebound from Eboua—which sent the game to overtime with 7 seconds left, this is the summary of the first forty minutes characterized by very low scoring and many missed opportunities by Derthona, between offensive rebounds conceded and free throws missed.
The extended game was marked by a succession of referee whistles that prolonged the game dramatically, benefiting Derthona. With the score at 71-69 in their favor and Maddox at the free throw line with 20 seconds remaining, they had a chance to secure a victory. However, the American guard also fell victim to the free throw rule that had affected the entire Juventus team (18/37 total) and went 0/2, punished by Kirkwood's winning run to another basket to tie the score at 71 with 11 seconds left. Baglietto still had a chance to win, but first Maddox lost the ball off the dribble over the sideline with 4 seconds remaining, and on a timeout called by the Slovenian bench, now without coach Mitrovic due to an ejection for a double technical foul, Durham fouled Cowan with 3.8 seconds left. The American point guard from Ljubljana scored both free throws to take the lead, but Derthona never managed to overturn it because Durham's three-pointer on the run went wide of the rim.
Baglietto will return to play in the BKT EuroCup next Wednesday, November 11th, at 19:30 pm at the Nova Arena against Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem, a match preceded on Sunday 8th at 17:30 pm by the home league match against league leaders Nutribullet Treviso.
The Statements
Coach Mario Fioretti: "It was a hard-fought game. It looked like we were in control when we took a double-digit lead in the third quarter, but then we fell behind due to several mistakes in the final period. We came back and managed to send the game to overtime, but even in overtime, more mistakes punished us. Obviously, our defensive shutout wasn't up to par, and our free throw shooting performance is almost beside the point. I've never seen anyone shoot less than 50% from the line at this level."
(PHOTOCREDIT: BKT EUROCUP)
