Bertram's comeback hopes dashed on iron: Trieste sprints past PalaEnergica in top-seeded clash
Bertram Derthona – Basketball Trieste 82-85
(22-23, 37-43, 60-65)
Scoreboards:
Bertram: Zerini, Vital 5, Kuhse 11, Gorham 11, Candi, Farias ne, Denegri 3, Strautins 7, Baldasso 18, Kamagate 12, Biligha 2, Weems 13. All. De Raffaele.
Trieste: Bossi ne, Ross 19, Reyes ne, Deangeli ne, Uthoff 11, Ruzzier, Campogrande ne, Candussi 3, M. Brown 8, Brooks 13, J. Johnson 9, Valentine 22. All. Christian.
Referees: Baldini of Florence, Bettini of Bologna, Bartolomeo of San Pietro Vernotico (BR).
They also went down by 14 points in the second half, recovered twice in the fourth quarter from almost impossible situations and missed the three-point shot in the possible overtime. For Bertram Derthona, their first defeat of the season materialized. The black and whites lost the home clash between undefeated teams with Pallacanestro Trieste, who conquered the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris of Casale Monferrato by 85-82 in the top-seeded challenge of the third day of Serie A Unipol, confirming themselves as a terrible newly promoted team after the victories against Milan and Naples. For the team coached by Walter De Raffaele, the streak of three victories ends, also putting them in the Champions League, at the end of a match in which they were forced to chase from the middle of the second quarter onwards an opponent who built the +6 of the first half on Uthoff and on the incursions of the former Ross (14 points at half-time) and flying twice in the second half on +14 (the last time on 39-53 at 24') with the very inspired Valentine from beyond the arc (6/9 from three at the end for the former Milan player).
With Severini out due to physical problems and Kuhse out for almost the entire first half due to 2 fouls after less than 5 minutes, Baldasso finds the points right before the halftime buzzer - he was 9 short on the eve - to reach the milestone of 1000 scored in his career in Serie A with a stop and a shot from the elbow of the free throw line for the 37-43 halfway point. In the second half, Kuhse's return and the excellent plays of Weems and a thunderous Kamagate give energy to the home fans and the team to get back into the game (66-69 at 33'). The surgical Brooks seems to make Trieste stretch out again in an almost irremediable way, but 4 points in a row by Gorham even bring Bertram to just one point away for 79-80 with only 40" to go. At the height of the enthusiasm of the PalaEnergica, three free throws by Valentine and a dunk by Brooks on the break seem to put the point back on the visitors' success, 79-85 with 13" remaining. Bertram, however, still has one last unexpected burst: an immediate three-pointer by Kuhse and a defensive recovery by Candi against a backdrop of sudden death, before Vital's run for the three-pointer of the possible overtime ends on the rim with 2" to go.
In three days, Bertram will have another home match. Tuesday, October 15 at 20:30, the European match against the Spanish team BAXI Manresa for the second day of Group G of the group stage of the Basketball Champions League.
STATEMENTS "It is right to congratulate Trieste, they deservedly won a match that they led for very long stretches, they always had control of the pace, of the match, something that we did not have except in flashes and with a few players", it's coach's comment De Raffaele. "We shot with terrible percentages from beyond the arc unlike Trieste, but it would be simplistic to say that a few more shots made would have been enough to change the course of the match. It is a lesson that we must learn quickly, be more cunning and smart, think that things must be conquered slowly, with a lot of work and application, working to cover the limits and highlighting our strengths. The fouls - keep it going - they have conditioned us in a sensational way, they have forced us to have different rotations, especially with the small ones, many stupid fouls and from this point of view we need to make great strides forward. It is true that many were called, the refereeing yardstick left me a bit perplexed but just as we make mistakes, the referees can make mistakes too. But, I repeat, the issue of fouls could have been managed much more intelligently and with a substantial team defense that instead was not there”.