Reggio Emilia, 19 May 2022 – Duty premise: the season of the Unahotels deserves a big applause, beyond the inauspicious outcome, moreover as expected, of the challenge of Quarter playoffs with Armani. Defeat in the final of the Fiba Europe Cup from an opponent with a much higher budget and a decidedly higher technical caliber, in Serie A, after five years, Pallacanestro Reggiana has returned to play the post-season, from seventh classified. Position that led her to clash with the main candidate for the Scudetto together with Virtus Bologna. Moreover, the Reggio team played the last part of the year, including the confrontation with the Milanese, having to serve three important absences, including that of captain Candi and his main attacking terminal, Olisevicius.
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In this framework to win the series with Olimpia a gigantic miracle would have been needed, and to win at least one race an extraordinary feat, something that Reggio, in the current conditions, was not able to do. Thus ends 3-0 in favor of the Messina band the comparison, and also the adventure of the Unahotels in the 2021/2022 championship. Despite the objective difficulties Reggio tries to start with an air but Milan wants to close the account and tries from the first quarter to place his shoulders. Unahotels keeps afloat with character but closes the first quarter at -8. The start of the second period sees, as it was legitimate to expect, Caja’s troop still struggle very much against the overwhelming superiority in physical and technical terms of the opponents. With some small initiative, Reggiana Basketball manages to remain essentially in the game, but Armani extends minute by minute (18-35 at 5 ‘, 23-41 at 8’) before the +16 with which the Milanese arrive at the long interval.
When the confrontation resumes, Olimpia closes a match whose outcome, moreover, had never really been questioned. With another vigorous shoulder, the result of oiled mechanisms in the offensive phase and a very high intensity in the rearguard, the Lombard battleship exceeds the twenty lengths of margin, with Baldi and Rossi and companions who continue to fight, according to their possibilities, but fail never to worry the listed opponents.
The last 10 minutes, which open with the scoreboard to score 41-70, are pure academy waiting for the final siren and the deserved applause, for the deeds of these months, from the red and white public of the Unipol Arena to their favorites.
The match report
UNAHOTELS: Thompson 9, Hopkins 4, Baldi Rossi 10, Strautins 12, Crawford, Cinciarini 8, Johnson 4, Larson 12. Ne: Colombo e Soliani. All.: Box.
ARMANI: Grant 7, Erba, Rodriguez 11, Ricci 5, Biligha 12, Hall 13, Baldasso 6, Shields 11, Alviti 2, Hines 4, Bentil 16, Datome 2. All .: Messina
Referees: Roberto Begnis, Beniamino Attard, Alessandro Martolini
Partials: 13-21, 27-43, 41-70
Notes: 3-person pitches: Unahotels 7/31, Armani 10/25; free throws: Reggio Emilia 12/20, Milan 13/17.
