Unicusano Roma – Orsi Derthona 89-98, news and press room coach Demis Cavina
Unicusano Roma – Orsi Derthona 89-98
(23-32, 36-55, 58-79)
Rome: Brown 23, Raffa 25, Piccolo, Lentini, Maresca 12, Sandri 13, Baldasso 6, Landi 8, Vedovato 2, Di Simone ne. All. Corbani
Derthona: Greene 14, Cosey 36, Alviti 5, Ricci 14, Sanna 10, Conti, Mascherpa 6, Garri, Apuzzone, Cucci 13. All.Cavina
Notes: T2: Rm 23/48, De 17/39; T3: Rm 6/17, De 17/23; Tl: Rm 25/31, De 13/15.
Referees: Bartoli of Trieste, Saraceni of Bologna, Patti of Pescara.
Derthona conquers Rome for the second time in two weeks, beating Virtus 89-98 at the end of an intense and exciting match, among the best of the season. On the pitch of a direct rival in the standings, the Bianconeri reacted to the immediate foul problems of the big men with engaging competitive spirit and intensity. The first push of the match is signed by Giampaolo Ricci's triples, which bring Derthona to 11-16 after 5'. Cosey and Sanna contribute from distance, allowing the Lions to close the first quarter at 23-32, with an excellent 6/7 from long range.
The script doesn't change in the second quarter; Roma tries to stay in the wake until the 15th minute, then has to give way to an overwhelming Derthona; Cucci dunks with the defense lined up to make it 33-43 in the 16th minute, then scores a triple which makes it 33-52 in the 19th minute.
The Bianconeri went into the break at +19 (36-55), improved at the start of the third period by Cosey's three almost consecutive three-point baskets (50-75 at 27') which seemed to put the game on ice. However, the impression is wrong, because Virtus has the great strength to react; Baldasso and Maresca bring the hosts closer from the line at the end of the third quarter (58-79 at 30'), then Raffa takes control of the situation. The Italian-American play gets the crowd at the PalaTiziano fired up, which suddenly becomes a real bedlam, which pushes Virtus to make a comeback.
Raffa himself, with three points in the 36th minute, reaches -8, but Greene responds with five consecutive points (73-86) in the 37th minute. Raffa brings Virtus back in the wake (80-88), Maresca shortens again (84-90) in the 39th minute, but Cosey is glacial, and with the eighth three-point basket of his extraordinary game, he scores 84-93 which it's worth the game, two points, and 2-0 in the direct clash in favor of Derthona.
Demis Cavina: “We played twenty-seven minutes of extraordinary quality, then showing great determination in key moments when Roma came close in scoring in the final minutes. We had several foul problems from the first minutes, which forced us to attack the basket in a different way than usual. However, we managed to transform the great circulation of the ball which produced good shots into long range baskets, an aspect which allowed us to move ahead in the scoring in the first part of the match. This is a great victory, which makes me happy towards the group, the staff, the club and above all the fans, who also came to Rome today, supported us for forty minutes and, in general, are always very close to us . This is the success of the whole Derthona.”
