Venice prevails 87-75 in Game 2: Reyer leads 2-0 in the series
Umana Reyer Venice – Bertram Derthona Tortona 87-75
(18-21, 38-41, 64-52)
Venice: Tessitori 2, Cole 19, Horton 4, Lever NE, De Nicolao, Candi 5, Bowman 9, Wheatle 9, Nikolic 3, Parks 16, Witljer 15, Valentine 5. All. Spahija.
Tortona: Vital 8, Hubb 3, Gorham 21, Manjon 4, Pecchia 4, Chapman 10, Tandia NE, Baldasso 10, Strautins 9, Olejniczak 3, Biligha 3, Riismaa NE All. Fioretti.
Referees: Baldini of Florence, A. Bongiorni of Pisa, D. Bongiorni of Rome.
Bertram Derthona Tortona fell short of tying the series after losing Game 1, with Umana Reyer Venezia winning Game 2 87-75 to take a 2-0 series lead. The matchup moves to Nova Arena for Game 3, scheduled for Friday, May 22nd at 20:45 p.m., to keep the season alive.
Reyer Venezia advances 2-0 in the quarterfinals
Reyer Venezia started strongly, quickly jumping to a 7-point lead (13-6) with a perfect 5-for-5 from the field after triples from Jordan Parks and Kyle Wiltjer. Back-to-back Ezra Manjon runs put Derthona back in contact, but Reyer was relentless from beyond the arc, with the Canadian number 33 once again scoring. Bertram, however, responded with pride, led by six points each from Justin Gorham and Arturs Strautins. Captain Baldasso's triple gave Derthona a 21-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Neven Spahija's team opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run that made it 28-21 thanks to a three-pointer by former player Leonardo Candi after three minutes. The Lions' scoring drought lasted four minutes, but Baldasso responded with one of his signature threes, followed by a highly inspired Brekkott Chapman to make it 8-0. The two teams battled on the counterattack, the pace picking up with each possession. After twenty minutes, Derthona went into the locker room with the score at 41-38, maintaining a three-point lead.
The second quarter saw Reyer and Derthona's attacks struggle more than they had in the first twenty minutes, with their percentages dropping. RJ Cole and Denzel Valentine led the way for the Orogranata, but Strautins responded with a powerful shot from beyond the arc. The home team's defensive intensity increased, with Venice's attack increasing the score to 16-5 for a 54-46 lead midway through the third quarter. Bertram rejoined the game, but Reyer poured in eight points in a matter of seconds to enter the fourth quarter up by 12 (64-52).
The Orogranata didn't slow down at the start of the fourth quarter, reaching their maximum lead of 18 points (71-53) after a three-pointer by Ky Bowman. Derthona attempted to get back into the game, but Venice extended the gap to +20 (77-57) after a layup by Cole, which forced Coach Fioretti to call a timeout. The home team maintained their lead in the final minutes and closed the game at 87-75. Bertram will now look to keep the series alive in Game 3, scheduled for Friday, May 22nd at 20:45 PM at home.
PHOTO CREDIT: Ciamillo-Castoria
