Defeat for Bertram Derthona, who without Čepić, surrendered to Pompea Mantova, at the end of a match led by the Lombards from the start, in the 1st edition of the Staff Trophy, partners of both teams for years. For the Bianconeri, a useful test in view of the Final Four of the LNP 2019 Old Wild West Super Cup scheduled for Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September 2019. Coach Ramondino chooses Tavernelli, Gaines, Martini, Pullazi and Gražulis to start the match: the training initiatives are starting Clarke allows Mantova to produce the first break (11-5 at 5'). It is then Lawson who fuels the favorable moment for the home team, who find quick baskets and extend their lead up to +16 (23-7); the first half ends with the score 29-10 in favor of Mantua. In the second period comes the reaction of Bertram, who raises the quality of her game by scoring a partial of 0-12 which closes the gap (31-24 at 15') and forces coach Finelli to stop the operations. At the end of the first half, Pompea regained a double-digit lead, going into halftime ahead 42-32. Upon returning from the locker rooms, coach Ramondino's team started better, returning to just one possession away (46-44), before 9 consecutive points from Visconti once again gave Mantua a double-digit margin, at 55-44. In the following minutes the Bianconeri got closer to their opponents, leading 68-61 in the 30th minute. At the start of the last quarter, a series of baskets by Gaines allows Bertram to get back into close contact (71-70 at 34'): coach Finelli interrupts the game. Coming out of the time-out, Pompea produced a 9-1 break which allowed them to extend their gap. In the final, the Lombards contained the return of their opponents and won 86-79. The Bianconeri's next match will be the semi-final of the LNP 2019 Old Wild West Super Cup against APU Udine scheduled for Friday 27 September 2019 at 21.00 pm at the Allianz Cloud in Milan.
