Autosped with a dream comeback: a stellar second half is worth 1-0 in the series
Autosped BCC Derthona-Alama San Martino di Lupari 71-65
(11-25, 33-42, 56-59)
Scoreboards:
BCC Derthona: Dotto 9, Marangoni 2, Fontaine ne, Milani ne, Premasunac, Leonardi, Zahui B. 5, Arado 15, Attura 13, Melchiori 11, Penna 10, Gatti ne. All. Cutugno
San Martino: Simon 12, D'Alie 6, Guarise, Cvijanovic 7, Cedolini n/a, Gilli 2, Del Pero 7, Piatti, Robinson 12, Bickle 19. Coach Piazza
An exhilarating comeback that will go down in the annals of Autosped BCC Derthona is the perfect snapshot to tell the story of the Giraffes' absolute debut in the Serie A1 playoffs. After reaching -18 in the first half, the team coached by Orazio Cutugno already comes back under double digits at half time, to then complete their masterpiece with a second half that lights up the Cittadella dello Sport and gives the 1-0 in the series. Forced to give up Zahui B. already in the second half, BCC comes together, finds a very important contribution on both sides of the field by all the players, turns the game around and excites the crowd, who pushes Autosped to success.
First quarter complex for BCC, which suffers the precision in shooting from outside (5/9) and the intensity put on the field by San Martino di Lupari: the guests approach better, extend beyond the double digit margin and close ahead 11-25 at 10'. In the first minutes of the second period, the guests further widen the gap, before the team coached by Cutugno has a defensive reaction and finds some baskets near the rim that also ignite the crowd. With the triple by Melchiori at the end of the first half, Autosped returns under the double digit gap (33-42).
Upon returning from the locker rooms, BCC further increases its defensive intensity, fueling the attack from this fundamental, which increases in effectiveness: the Giraffes take the lead on a couple of occasions, but in the end San Martino makes the counter-overtaking and closes ahead 56-59 at 30'. The last fraction is a crescendo of tension: the percentages drop and we witness a real chess game, which leads to a final sprint. BCC enters the last two turns of the clock ahead by a full possession (66-63) with the basket by Attura, a situation that remains unchanged with the coolness at the free throw line by Bickle and Arado. Penna's three-point basket, with 18 seconds left, closes the game: Autosped wins 71-65.
The words of Arianna Arado: “It was a very tough game, in which we had a bad approach. However, we were good at reacting, also controlling the rebounds. I am very happy with the team's performance, because each one gave everything they had on the field. On Sunday we have to go to San Martino with the same energy we put in the second half”.
Coach's comment Orazio Cutugno: "Today's game was really tough, like a playoff. We didn't have the right approach, but then we have to give great credit to all the girls who put in an extra effort. The second half was of a high level, now we're preparing for the physicality and impact that San Martino will have on Sunday too".
