Third stop of the season for Bertram Derthona against NPC Rieti 75 to 69
NPC RIETI – BERTRAM DERTHONA 75-69
(18-7, 15-25, 20-22)
Rieti: Tommasini 10, Hearst 13, Casini 18, Davenport 12, Gigli 10, Melchiorri ne, Savoldelli 10, Carenza, Conti 2, Hassan. Coach Rossi
Bertram Derthona: Spanghero 9, Divac, Meluzzi, Quaglia 4, Johnson 27, Sorokas 4, Mei 5, Stefanelli 3, Radonjic 11, Garri 6. All. Pansa
An inspired NPC Rieti in attack forces the third stop of the season at Bertram Derthona, winning 75-69. Johnson's 27 points were not enough to bring home the result, facing an NPC team that was able to come together and react to a moment of great difficulty with an amazing last quarter. Rieti has six players in double figures and, with Davenport and Casini, manages to gain two important points for its start to the championship.
The start of the race bears the imprint of Rieti. Casini and Tommasini put great pressure on coach Pansa's quintet from seven meters away. A dunk from Sorokas and a triple from Radonjic stem the emergency, but Rieti has more and ends the first quarter ahead 18-7. Melvin Johnson entered the match and, with thirteen personal points in the first half, led the Juventus comeback, which came close to reaching the lead right at the end of the first half, at 33-32.
In the third quarter the Lions gain confidence from long range and in transition. Johnson shows all his quality; 5 points in the very first moments of the game and substance put the Bianconeri ahead and shortly thereafter acquired the maximum advantage of 10 points with another five points from Radonjic. Rieti raises the intensity of the game: Savoldelli and Gigli put the Bianconeri's breath back down their necks, then it's once again the point guard born in '97, with a triple from sidereal distance, to make it 53-54 in the thirtieth minute. After a few minutes of balance, Tommasini and Garri exchange baskets at 67-67, then a technical foul called on Mei and capitalized by the Npc (free throw by Hearst, triple by Davenport) creates the break that the attempts by Sorokas and Spanghero will not succeed more to close.
