Bertram Derthona Tortona vs Virtus Segafredo Bologna

One of the most beautiful evenings in the history of Bertram Derthona, in a warm and full arena in every seating order, against a very high level opponent. A match difficult to forget for the over 3000 people of Tortona's Juventus faith who flocked to the stadium to witness a test of maturity, concreteness and solidity of the team trained by coach Ramondino, capable of leading right from the start, resisting the outbursts of Virtus and locking down – at least – third place in the standings at the end of the first round.

In a setting with great opportunities at the PalaEnergica, Bertram starts with energy and effective solutions in attack, immediately placing an important break (9-2). The reaction of the opponents doesn't take long to be felt: thanks to some great plays, Virtus gets back in touch (14-12 with 5'19''). A mini break of 9-2 ending with a triple plus a foul by Macura brings the home team up 9 with 3'22 left. Bako responds from underneath and the first quarter ends 29-22. In the second half the boys trained by coach Ramondino widen the gap and reach +10. Thanks to an excellent fluidity of the ball in attack and an aggressive defense they repel all the opponents' attempts to return. In the final seconds Macura's assist for Harper gives Bertram a basket and a foul and sends the teams to the locker rooms at 48-33.

Upon returning from the changing rooms, Derthona, thanks to the great continuity in both halves of the pitch and the excellent percentages from outside, updated their maximum lead to +19 (61-42). Virtus, with the play of Belinelli and Hackett, signs a counterbreak of 7-14 with which they close the gap: in the 30th minute the score is 68-59. A wildcard at the end of the 24" from Filloy opens the final period, Candi fuels the favorable moment for the Bianconeri who reach +15 again (74-59). Lundberg and Belinelli keep Bologna afloat and allow them to progressively close the gap, returning to below double figures in the final minutes (-7, 86-79, 2 minutes from the end with Mickey's triple). Here, despite the great pressure from the opponent, Bertram maintains great clarity, moves the ball well and finds the baskets that seal the deserved success, which arrives with the score of 89-81.