Bertram fights, but falls in the capital
Virtus Roma-Bertram Derthona 79-66
(15-10, 40-32, 55-46)
Scoreboards:
Rome: Spizzichino ne, Alibegovic 9, Lucarelli ne, Moore 18, Sandri, Baldasso 8, Saccaggi 15, Landi 10, Prandin 2, Sims 17, Matic ne, Santiangeli. All. Bucchi
Derthona: Alibegovic ne, Blizzard 9, Ndoja 4, Garri 2, Lusvarghi, Viglianisi 13, Bertone 16, Gergati 2, Spizzichini 11, Lydeka 9. Coach Ramondino
Defeat for Bertram Derthona who, without Alibegovic, surrendered to the league leaders Virtus Roma at the end of a match conducted in terms of pace and score by coach Piero Bucchi's team. Great balance on the pitch between the two teams during the first quarter: it is then with a 5-0 run signed by Moore and Landi that Virtus ends the first ten minutes leading 15-10. In the second period Bertram's defense increases in intensity and the Bianconeri, thanks to Bertone's initiatives, find the overtaking at 24-26. In the following minutes the home team reacted, producing an 8-0 break which was worth 32-26 and forced coach Ramondino to stop the game. At the end of the first half, Virtus reached a double-digit lead at 40-30, with two consecutive triples from Moore: Gergati's basket then closed the gap at half-time (40-32 at 20'). At the start of the third quarter Roma extends to 46-32, the maximum gap between the two teams, before suffering the reaction of Derthona led by Viglianisi: after Spizzichini's basket, which is worth 48-38, coach Bucchi calls a time-out . In the following minutes the balance between the two teams remained: a triple from Landi then closed the third quarter at 55-46. At the start of the last quarter, Bertram tries to get back into the score, but the plays of Alibegovic and Moore push Virtus back to a double-digit lead (63-49 in the 36th minute). In the final, the Bianconeri lost Spizzichini due to an injury suffered to his right ankle in an attempt to recover a loose ball and Roma extended their lead to 79-66 at the siren thanks to the precision of the three-point shot.
Coach Ramondino had this to say after the game: "Congratulations to Roma for the win: Virtus was more consistent throughout the game, while we sputtered both in terms of energy and quality of play. They have offensive reference points that they were able to find even outside of play, and their discipline in the game also translated into greater balance on the court. The ups and downs are a symbol of our season and are probably natural given the challenges we face every week. If we had been tougher and more physical, we could have stayed in the game until the end, but technically the key was our inability to play against Roma's aggressive defense, which managed to keep us away from the paint. Even when we created good shots with plenty of space, we didn't convert them because we lacked offensive rhythm. We alternate moments where we are reactive with others where we are unable to maintain consistency, also due to the injuries we are dealing with. These shouldn't be excuses, and moving beyond the problems can make our end of the season positive. Viglianisi is a very good guy and is very useful because he does many little things that often don't show up in the statistics but help the team: today he could have scored more baskets as he took good shots, but they came at a time when we were lacking offensive rhythm. The playoffs seem far away to me, not as difficult to reach: we have to make a strong run in the last six days, and if we can be more consistent, tough, and energetic, we can have a strong end to the season.
