Forty minutes of heart and character: Derthona beat league leaders Venezia
Bertram Derthona – Umana Reyer Venezia 75-69
(22-12, 41-31, 57-50)
Scoreboards:
Derthona: Zerini 2, Ross 9, Dowe 7, Candi, Tavernelli ne, Straūtins 14, Baldasso 12, Kamagate 4, Severini 3, Obasohan 4, Weems 20, Thomas. All. De Raffaele
Venezia: Spissu 2, Tessitori 13, Heidegger 10, Casarin 1, De Nicolao 6, O' Connell, Janelidze ne, Kabengele 6, Brooks 10, Simms 15, Wiltjer 6. All. Spahija
Victory of heart and character for Bertram Derthona against the human Reyer Venezia. After a first half with a very high level of intensity and attention in both halves of the field, the Lions suffered Reyer's comeback but found the courage and strength to close the match 75-69 and pocket 2 very important points. Worth noting is the excellent team performance on an offensive level (which allowed several protagonists to be found during the match) and the great defensive intensity which kept the top of the class under 70 points.
Impeccable start to the match for Bertram who, with an aggressive defense and good ball circulation, gained a double-digit lead from the first minutes by finding several protagonists in attack. Venezia unblocks itself offensively in the last minutes of the quarter and the score ends 22-10. In the second period the Lions continued along the lines of the first 10 minutes and extended up to +16 signed by Ross. In the last 3 minutes of the first half the Orogranatas placed a mini break of 0-8 which brought them back to under double digits, but Bertram was clear in the final plays and ended the opening twenty minutes in the lead 41-31.
Upon returning from the locker room, Reyer, driven by baskets from Simms and Kabengele, gets back up to -5. The team led by De Raffaele, thanks to a slight decline and the aggressiveness in defense of the Venetians, struggled to find the way to the basket. Baldasso's triple gives the home team some oxygen midway through the third quarter, while in the final, it is Strautins who pushes the Bianconeri up to 57-50 in the 30th minute.
In the last half of the game a new orogranata partial favored by Brooks and Simms allows Reyer to impact the match (64-64 with 4'55''). It's Kyle Weems who takes the lead for the home team: with 8 consecutive points in the decisive moment, he brings the Lions back to +8 at 1'57. In the final moments, Kamagate's defensive play and Dowe's free throw sealed the deserved success of Derthona, who won 75-69.
So coach Walter De Raffaele at the end of the race: “For us this is a very important victory for several reasons: first of all for the ranking, then because it came against a great team, first in the standings, which despite the absences has proven to be one of the great protagonists of this championship. Finally, it is an important victory for my players because it confirms that the path we are taking is the right one. Today the defence, sacrifice and availability of all the players who took to the field played a fundamental role. I believe that today we really saw the sense of "team", especially in the third quarter when Venezia came back with great ability and talent, I believe that the Italian quintet gave a great hand. I'm particularly happy with Kyle Weems' performance, he needed a game like this. Just as I am happy for Dr. Gavio and for this audience who were truly present this evening and encouraged us from the first minute; I think this empathy with the fans is fundamental. As I said last time, the public must get involved but it is the team's attitude that must come first. An important victory that gives us confidence but still leaves us with the idea of keeping our heads down, very humble and with the awareness that we must continue to work.".
