Bertram challenges Cantù to break the away taboo: "We absolutely must start winning away from home."
Chasing their first ever away win of the season, Bertram Derthona Tortona will travel to Desio tomorrow, where they will face hosts Acqua S. Bernardo Cantù at 5:30 PM at the PalaDesio, on Matchday 8 of the LBA Serie A SisalClub championship. For their part, the Brianza team is also seeking a first, a win they've never achieved in the current tournament.
The race will be streamed live on LBATV.
How do the two teams arrive?
Reinvigorated in their game and spirit by the success in their last home game against former league leaders Treviso (87-76) and by the three-game tie-break in the BKT EuroCup against Hapoel Jerusalem, before the undefeated Israeli team ran away with a 91-77 final victory at the Nova Arena, Bertram wants to test their progress in an important match at this stage of the season and increase the 4 points they have in the standings.
After playing 15 minutes and scoring eight points in the cup on Wednesday evening, kicking off his second season with the Bianconeri, Christian Vital will be available for his Italian league debut. Due to the cap on six foreign players allowed in a Serie A game, if the American guard is included in the roster for Cantù, his place will have to be filled by one of the six other non-Italian players currently on the Bianconeri roster.
In terms of individual player statistics, the game in Desio could mark a move up in the ranking of Derthona's all-time assist providers in Serie A: Prentiss Hubb is 4 assists away from surpassing the all-time record holder Tommaso Baldasso, 181 assists for the American point guard, 184 for the guard who moved to Virtus Bologna in the summer.
Fresh from parting ways with former Derthona player Semaj Christon and American power forward Isaiah Miles, and coming off a 99-87 loss at Maxima Roma, Cantù is also ready to debut a returning American, Erick Green. Signed in mid-September from Umana Reyer Venezia to replace Sir'Jabari Rice's injury, and after seven games with the Venetians (averaging 8.9 points in 17.4 minutes), the 34-year-old guard returned this week to the team he helped save last season, entering the final stretch of the 2025 season.
Two former players each, Okeke (who never made an appearance in an official match for Derthona) and Grazulis for Cantù, Pecchia and Bortolani for Tortona.
Previous
There have been only two previous encounters between the teams in Serie A, both dating back to last season, both in 2026, and both with Bertram's side. Tortona won the first leg on January 4th in Lombardy 85-79 despite 23 points from Giordano Bortolani, then with Cantù, and repeated the feat two and a half months later at the Nova Arena with a resounding 100-73 home win.
Andrea Vicenzutto's preview
"The motivations for this match are certainly unquestionable on both sides. Both teams want and must take home the result ," says assistant coach Andrea Vicenzutto. "We know we need to secure some wins away from home, and we absolutely must try to do so starting this Sunday. We'll have to do it on a pitch where winning is never easy, thanks to one of the best fan bases in Italy, who have always been capable of creating a truly captivating atmosphere."
Green will certainly be a big help to Cantù's outside lineup, which without Christon was effectively without its main handler, given the many minutes he played. Therefore, limiting their handlers will be one of our priorities even more. The other two players who not only provide points but also significant advantages for Cantù are Flagg and Olisevicius, who—thanks to their physicality, experience, and offensive talent—are capable of hitting defenses in a variety of ways, not least in the low post, where they are both very skilled.
"We're improving defensively compared to the start, and that's an area we need to continue improving if we want to continue our season's upward trend. Offensively, we need to build on the excellent three-and-a-half quarters against Hapoel, where our ball movement and aggressiveness in all offensive situations allowed us to compete on equal terms with what is currently the best defense in the EuroCup."
(PHOTOCREDIT: DERTHONA BASKET)
