Bertram clearly beats Patras also in Greece: Tortona will play at home for the pass to the BCL quarterfinals
Promitheas Patras Vikos Cola – Bertram Derthona Tortona 60-82
(19-20, 29-32, 45-64)
Patras: Walker 12, Lountzis 8, Bazinas, Papagiannis ne, Ke. Williams 4, Shittu 5, Lagios ne, Reese 7, Prekas, Varnado 11, Iwundu 9, KJ Williams 4. All. Papatheodorou.
Tortona: Zerini, Vital 14, Kuhse 8, Gorham 21, Candi 9, Denegri 3, Baldasso, Kamagate 8, Biligha 2, Severini 6, Josovic 3, Weems 8. Coach De Raffaele.
Referees: Conde (ESP), Chueca (ESP, Maciulis (LTU) Baki.
The first away win in the Top 16 to remain perfectly in the running for qualification to the quarterfinals. Bertram Derthona Tortona repeats the large success of the first leg a week ago against Promitheas Patrasso Vikos Cola, from +20 in Casale Monferrato (97-77) rises to +22 of 82-60 in Greece with which it also wins the challenge of the fourth day of Group I of the second phase of the Basketball Champions League, first round of the return round. The victory allows it to catch up with the Germans of Wurzburg at 4 points in the standings, who maintain second place thanks to the +1 in the direct clash of the first leg but must play in two weeks the last game at home to Derthona, a real play-off for both teams to access the next phase together with the undefeated leaders AEK Athens, already certain of the pass to the quarterfinals after yesterday's home victory over the same Bavarians (84-77). Patras is officially out of the game, stuck at zero points.
The difference at the Dimitris Tofalos Arena after the +3 of the first half (29-32) was the domineering third quarter of the Lions, a 32-16 branded in particular by Justin Gorham, author of 11 points - the result of a flurry of three-point shots and perfect trips to the free throw line - in the 13-2 break that split the game already straddling the halfway point of the period, from 37-40 in the 24th minute to 39-53 in the 27th minute, strengthened shortly after by two bombs in a row by Vital for the 45-64 that closed the contest even before the fourth quarter arrived.
The Tortona escape made us forget the difficulties that Bertram had shown like Patrasso throughout the second quarter (won by Tortona 12-10), after a start of the game in which Severini and his teammates had played lively, already showing off Gorham's excellent evening: over 21 points with 4/7 three-pointers, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals for a rating of 34. The best man of the Greeks, Jordan Walker, had initially tried to respond to the American power forward, inspiring the unexpected -1 of the home team at the first mini-break (19-20) after the 7-16 reached by Bertram after the first six minutes thanks to three consecutive three-pointers by Gorham, Vital and Kuhse and a dominance in offensive rebounds that lasted the entire match (16 total, 5 by Kamagate). To make the trip to the seaside of Peloponnese even more festive, fourth consecutive victory between the championship and the cup, the first points from the field in the Champions League (after two free throws scored in the first phase at Benfica's home) of 2006 by Andrija Josovic, who also joined the three-point shooting festival of the second half of Bertram (16/41 at the end of the game) with the basket from beyond the arc to make it 60-79.
The decisive final rush will begin next week with the last two matches, both at the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris, starting with the match on Wednesday 19th at 20:30 against AEK, followed the following Wednesday by the eagerly awaited match against Wurzburg.
STATEMENTS In the post-match press conference they spoke Justin Gorham and coach Walter De Raffaele. "If I remember how many points I scored in the third quarter? A lot…”, smiles the former Rytas Vilnius. “We went into halftime only 3 points up and we knew we had to get back on the pitch and fight to bring home the win. Every game is obviously played to win, to reach an important milestone for the entire team, we came here with a very precise game plan and we executed it well”. "We are in a very balanced and very physical group, it is never easy to win away, especially against a good team like Promitheas, so we have to be happy", the words of De Raffaele. “This group has shown that anyone can win against anyone, away and at home, and we are happy to have created the opportunity to move forward with our dream. Let me emphasize that ours is a real group, for the way it is on the field: since Strautins' injury, which was a great loss for us, we have had to let time pass to find new balances, some players have had to adapt to new roles, even veterans like Weems, and a balance is now there. This is a group that goes beyond its limits, even with many rookies who have never played in this competition".
