Prestigious friendly for Bertram Derthona, who without Spizzichini - still sidelined due to a muscle problem - and Ndoja, who was distraught, faced Vanoli Cremona, a team that plays in Serie A. In front of a good crowd of fans gathered at the PalaOltrepo, the The Bianconeri suffered at the start from the greater athletic and physical level of the team led today by Flavio Fioretti due to the absence of Sacchetti who was busy with the national team: the first quarter ended with a score of 29-15 for Vanoli. The start of the second half was characterized by an increase in the defensive intensity and offensive quality of the game of coach Pansa's team, which forced Cremona into several turnovers, reducing the gap in the score. The Bianconeri played a great second period, winning it 27-18. In the third quarter, Cremona's greater defensive pressure led to a series of steals and baskets on the counterattack which widened the margin of advantage for Fioretti's team. Taking advantage of the greater physicality, due to the different category, Vanoli also builds a series of second opportunities with offensive rebounds: after three quarters Cremona leads 73-47. The last quarter continues in balance until the final siren: the last quarter ends 20-15 for the Lombards.
So coach Pansa: ʺI'll start with the things I liked during the match: we played an excellent second quarter and an intense final period. I didn't like the approaches in the first and third parts, in which they shot with excellent percentages. We knew the difficulties of the match, because we chose to carry out an intense preseason to subject ourselves to greater technical and physical stress than what we will find in the championship. The difference in rebounding was not very significant during the match, despite their greater physicality: we must work to reduce the ups and downs during our matches.
