Derthona's first EuroCup home game is a winning sprint: 9-0 final to come back and beat Le Mans
Bertram Derthona Tortona – Le Mans Sarthe 89-83
(22-20, 46-44, 66-66)
Derthona : Eboua ne, Hubb 14, Gorham 22, Pecchia, A. Alibegovic 7, Di Meo ne, Bortolani 9, Olejniczak 2, Maddox 10, Gazzotti, Jallow 13, Durham 12. Coach Fioretti.
Le Mans : Stewart 11, Grasshoff 9, King 17, Ajinca 8, Delaunay 4, Doumbia Niang 1, Yeguete 2, Wood 18, Dufeal 6, Thomas 5, Penda 2. All. Vizade.
Referees : Radojkovic (CRO), Lezcano (ARG), Jablonskas (LTU).
Spectators : 1866.
At the most difficult moment of the match, Baglietto Derthona Tortona found the strength to post a 9-0 run that gave them their first BKT EuroCup victory on their home debut in the European competition. After Wood's 80-83 lead put Le Mans Sarthe in a privileged position with just over a minute and a half left, Derthona's response included a Gorham basket, Hubb's three-pointer sparking a roar from the home crowd as they overtook with 29 seconds left, Gorham's two free throws from more than a possession behind with 18 seconds left, and Bortolani's final basket, all combined with a defense that had blocked the French team's path to the basket thanks in part to blocks by Jallow and Gorham. Thus came the 89-83 scoreline, with Derthona earning their first two points in Group A on the second day of the regular season.
Justin Gorham was the most notable black and white player of the evening with a complete performance, the best scorer of the match with 22 points, 61% shooting from the field, 6/6 free throws and 8 rebounds for a 29 rating, also in this case the first of the game.
The match
Before the match, to celebrate the strengthened partnership with Derthona's new title sponsor in the EuroCup, at midfield, President Marco Picchi presented Baglietto CEO Diego Michele Deprati and Chief Commercial Officer Fabio Ermetto with two official match jerseys.
Baglietto got off to a strong start on both ends of the court, holding a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter. Jallow and Hubb emerged as the most prominent offensive players, and Olejniczak's assist for Gorham's dunk forced the French coach to call a quick timeout with Tortona leading 15-5. However, Le Mans didn't let the first quarter end to close the gap; in fact, five consecutive points from King followed by a tap-in from Yeguete actually led, 19-20 with 45 seconds to go. Bortolani's three-pointer gave the home team a boost, and they closed the quarter ahead thanks to the former Cantù guard's 22-20 run.
In the second quarter Derthona tried to reopen a gap, also taking advantage of a greater incisiveness on the offensive rebound (11-4 in the first half, 16-11 at the end), but with Wood, King and the former Varese player Stewart the French prevented the Lions from going beyond -2 even at the interval, 46-44.
The second half began as the first had begun, dominated entirely by Baglietto. The Hubb-Gorham duo scored an opening 7-0 run that brought Tortona close to a double-digit lead after just two minutes of play, 53-44. But, mirroring their early lead, Le Mans again quickly recovered. Former player TaShawn Thomas's first basket of the game tied the score at 59, and Wood's three-pointer sealed the French lead, 61-62.
The final quarter began with the score tied at 66-66, but a pair of key plays by Durham sparked excitement at Nova Arena, with a 2-and-1 and a three-pointer making it 80-75 with just over four minutes to play. From then on, the game became a run and a rerun. After the French team's 8-0 run, sealed by Wood's basket to make it 80-83, Derthona's 9-0 run earned their first-ever EuroCup victory.
The statements
Coach Mario Fioretti: "It was a really close game. Against a team like Le Mans, we dominated the rebounds, and that wasn't easy. We tried to move the ball well, but we still had a few turnovers. We needed to bounce back after the two losses we'd suffered in the league and cup, and we did well to do so."
It wasn't easy to get to this point after those two games. Le Mans was also coming off two defeats, though not as heavy as ours in Rome. It was clear we were a bit tight in certain situations; there's a fear of making mistakes, which is normal. I'm happy because we had two excellent days of preparation for the match with great spirit, and today we showed just the right spirit to bring home the win. We've definitely made some good steps forward.
(Photo credit: Derthona Basket)
