(Source: League basketball) Balanced start between the two teams with Brescia taking advantage of the offensive axis N.Tanfoglio-Malagnini (13 points, 9 rebounds) to hurt in the paint, while Venice finds points thanks to penetrations by Barbero (13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists), Chapelli (14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals) and Iannuzzi (22 points) all able to find a foul after the basket. At the end of the first quarter the uncertainties of the Lombards allow the orogranata to stretch, so the conclusions of Chapelli and Ballarin bring the score to 15-26 after ten minutes. Germani doesn’t change her game plan and this makes it easier for Umana Reyer to read the opponent’s intentions; subsequently Bolpin’s inspiration opens up passages for his teammates who find easy supports and other shots with the clock stopped (22-35). N.Tanfoglio’s hand (14 points) warms up and Malagnini’s return to the parquet helps reduce the gap, however an inspired Iannuzzi sends back any comeback attempt. For Brescia the basket remains bewitched unlike Venice which manages to find the maximum advantage on +18, before the triples by Pollini and Porto close the first half on 34-46.
At the beginning of the second half, the tactical plot of the Lombards changed, good at finding a 7-2 run thanks to the usual tandem N.Tanfoglio-Malagnini; despite this, the presence of Vanin under the scoreboards and the chemistry between Chapelli and Barbero help the Venetians to find the right tracks and get back to +14 (43-57). Porto’s engines also start up (11 points) on both sides of the field: a triple by him, followed by a layup by Pezzali, takes Brescia down 51-59 to the last period.
The blue-and-whites struggle to find the basket, the reverse for the orogranatas who grind points with Iannuzzi and with the constant presence of Vanin in the paint. A Porto basket interrupts Umana Reyer’s 2-13 run, but it’s not enough to close the gap in the score; then a triple and a dunk by Chapelli give Venice the maximum advantage at 57-77. Brescia’s efforts in the final were in vain with Pollini (12 points) protagonist of a 7-0 run which made the defeat on the final 64-77 less bitter.
Pietro Iannuzzi, MVP of the match, made the following statements after the match: “We played a good match, we were good at getting everyone ready right away, even the guys coming off the bench. The key to not recovering when Brescia seemed to be back in the game was certainly our lucidity, playing as a team and finding the easiest way to get to the basket”.
