Partials: 6-8pm; 36-42; 54-61
Human Reyer: Spissu 8, Tessitori 9, Parks 9, Freeman 7, Bramos, Moraschini 1, De Nicolao 1, Granger 6, Chillo ne, Brooks 17, Willis 5, Watt 9. All. From Raphael.
Trieste: Gaines 6, Pacher, Bossi ne, Davis 7, Spencer 13, Deangeli 4, Ruzzier 15, Campogrande 3, Vildera 6, Bartley 21, Lever 6. All. Legovich.
Umana Reyer manages to come back from -18 to -3 but in the end the comeback does not materialize with Pallacanestro Trieste who conquers Taliercio 72-81.
For the second time in the season, Umana Reyer has the entire roster available, with the confirmation of the starting five (Spissu, Granger, Bramos, Willis and Watt). After the initial 3-8 in 3′, the second triple by Spissu and that by Willis are worth the overtaking on 10-8 in the middle of the quarter. Umana Reyer’s fortunes, in a match in substantial balance, in which the teams respond blow by blow, are mainly based on defensive intensity, with the orogranata ahead 18-16 in the 9th minute, even if overcome in the last possession of the period on 18-20.
The Trieste break continues at the start of the second quarter, with the score 20-25 at 11’30”, then, driven above all by the excellent approach to the match by the returning Brooks, Umana Reyer gets closer first on 25-27 and then on 27-29 at 13’30”, on the real invention of the number 23 offensive rebounder. Trieste, thanks to three-pointers and offensive rebounds, however, is even on 27-38 at 16’30”. Watt returns to move the orogranata score after 4′, opening a 6-2 minibreak which leads to 33-40 in the last minute, with Freeman finally closing the half with a triple of 36-42.
Despite Granger’s triple of 39-44 at 20’30”, Umana Reyer struggles extremely in attack at the start of the second half, with Trieste flying first on 39-54 (24′), then, after 41-54 by Freeman, at 41-58 immediately after the half quarter, and finally at 43-61 at 27’30”. However, the quintet fielded by coach De Raffaele (De Nicolao, Freeman, Parks, Brooks and Tessitori) manages to field the right energy and, after only 7 points scored in over 7’30” ends the quarter with an 11-break 0 that changes the inertia as well as the score: 54-61 in the last interval.
Orogranata’s excellent momentum continues with Parks’ 56-61 at the start of the second half and then up to 60-63 with Brooks’ dunk which forces Trieste to time out in the 32nd minute. It also starts again with Ruzzier’s breakthrough brought home by De Nicolao, but Umana Reyer begins to feel the effects of fatigue from the effort made to return and Trieste, also thanks to some choices of the referee trio contested by the orogranata, extends up to 60- 68 in the middle of the quarter. Granger from 3 tries to interrupt the inertia, but at 36’30” it’s 63-73. The orogranata continue to try, pressing all over the field, but the result is relative: the minimum delay, in the final, reaches -7 and, at the siren, it is 72-81.
