Historic night in Casale: Derthona wins on their European debut
Bertram Derthona-UCAM Murcia 78-74
(22-25, 41-42, 55-58)
Scoreboards:
Derthona: Zerini 2, Dowe 16, Candi, Tavernelli ne, Strautins 5, Baldasso 9, Severini ne, Daum 5, Obasohan 15, Weems 12, Thomas 8, Radošević 6. Coach Ramondino
Murcia: Kurucs 5, Sant-Roos 2, Caupain 14, Radovic 12, McFadden 2, Sleva 5, Sakho 2, Diagne 4, Hakanson 6, Jelinek, Ennis 14, Birgander 8. Coach Alonso
A new night to remember for Bertram Derthona, who achieved success against UCAM Murcia on the first ever European night in their history. After a match characterized by great balance, the Bianconeri made the decisive break in the last quarter, then fending off their opponents' comeback attempts.
High-scoring first quarter at PalaEnergica: Murcia scores a break in the opening minutes to extend the lead to 9-18, before Bertram reacts and reduces the gap to 22-25 in the 10th minute. In the second half Derthona raises the intensity of their defense and overtakes, thanks to the play of Thomas and Dowe (39-36 in the 18th minute). At halftime of a balanced match, Radovic's basket gives Murcia the lead (41-42).
Upon returning from the locker rooms, UCAM produces a new acceleration worth +7 (46-53), followed by the reaction of the team coached by Ramondino who, with Obasohan's free throws a few seconds before the third siren, gets closer ( 55-58). In the final period, Derthona tried to break the balance of the match with an 11-2 run by Obasohan, Weems and Dowe, reaching their maximum lead (71-65) in the 37th minute. This brings us to a new sprint finish at the start of the season: Dowe penetrates the gap by two possessions (76-71) with 26 seconds to go. Ennis' triple brings Murcia back to -2, Weems' subsequent dunk seals Derthona's victory, which arrives with a score of 78-74.
Thus Chris Dowe at the end of the race: “I want to congratulate the coach and the city of Tortona, it was a great moment for the Club, having won the first European match in its history. We are happy to have won a difficult match by protecting the field factor, improving during the match.".
Thus coach Marco Ramondino at the end of the race: “This is a historic evening for a small city like Tortona which has great ambitions and big dreams: these evenings should not be taken for granted but we must enjoy them. From a technical point of view, I must compliment our technical staff both for having prepared the gameplan and for the tactical adjustments. Moving Zerini from '5' allowed us to play against a team that plays with great precision and organization: with the smaller quintet we played more physically and grabbed more rebounds. The team's ability to level up during the match allowed us to obtain this important victory.".
