Final sprint again fatal for Bertram: Reggio Emilia resists the comeback and wins
UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia – Bertram Derthona 86-82
(31-20, 49-42, 67-62)
Reggio Emilia: Barford 11, Gallo, Winston 14, Faye 15, Gombauld 4, Smith 16, Uglietti 2, Fainke ne, Vitali ne, Grant 4, Chillo, Cheatham 20. All. Priftis.
Bertram: Zerini ne, Vital 22, Kuhse 6, Gorham 4, Candi 3, Denegri 7, Strautins 8, Baldasso 9, Kamagate 2, Biligha 6, Severini 2, Weems 13. All. De Raffaele.
Referees: Rossi of Anghiari (AR), Perciavalle of Turin, Bartolomeo of S. Pietro Vernotico (BR).
As happened in Bologna three days earlier, it is the last action that thwarts the comeback of Bertram Derthona, this time on the field of UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia. The possibility of winning or at least going to overtime is shattered by the block of Jamar Smith on a shot inside the area by Denegri with 8” to go on the siren with the score at 84-82 for Reggio. The former Cremona playmaker had been one of the souls of Tortona's comeback, which also took the lead with two and a half minutes to go after a very long run that had neutralized a deficit that had reached -13. The challenge at the PalaBigi on the seventh day of the Serie A Unipol is thus taken by the Emilian home team, who have caught up with Tortona in the standings with 8 points.
Reggio builds its success on the rebounding dominance, doubling the guests both in total (48-24) and attack (16-8) and on the MVP Mouhamed Faye. The young pivot is the main architect of the winning battle under the baskets in favor of the Emilians and also author of the two points on his umpteenth attacking rebound (6, 14 total) that definitively put UNAHOTELS ahead in the score with just over 2 minutes to go (81-80) and of the two free throws that with -3” closed the contest at 84-82. Biligha in tap-in the basket of the first real advantage for Tortona (excluding the initial 0-2) on 78-80 at -2'28”, on the comeback of Derthona the strong imprint of Kyle Weems and Christian Vital, decisive with defensive recoveries and 8 points each in the fourth quarter to completely reopen a challenge that Cheatam, a factor for the Reggio Emilia team, had tried to close again towards the middle of the last quarter. Then the thrilling final point by point that did not reward Bertram again, forced to the third defeat in the championship.
In the next week for Derthona there are two home games in a row between Champions League and Serie A before stopping for the national commitments. Wednesday 13th at 20:30 the return round of the cup opens against Benfica, Sunday 17th at 17:30 the eighth day of the championship against Germani Brescia.
STATEMENTS “First of all, compliments are due to Reggio Emilia, they led for the entire match except for a minute and a half.", thus begins the post-match press conference of the Juventus coach Walter De Raffaele. “We played a game that was too fitful, we were good in the third quarter to come back and alternate a few things, then the last two offensive rebounds condemned us, if we had taken them things could have gone differently. The rebounds data condemned us a lot, it's not something that always happens to us and I think there was also a missing energy component in this. It was in fact the third game in six days, it's not an excuse but a fact. We have to give credit to our second unit that reacted when the starters didn't give us the ability to withstand the impact of Reggio. Unfortunately, it's the second time in a row that we've lost on the last play, we need more attention to detail, to know how to manage a final possession. After all, in some aspects our team still has a lot to learn”.
