Another excellent performance not rewarded by the result. CUS Cagliari gives way to Omeps Givova Battipaglia (80-65 in the final), but the -15 collected at the siren does not do justice to the performance of the university teams, by large stretches in the lead in the score before accusing a drop in energy in the ten final minutes.
In the end, the rossoblùs still have 8 points in the rankings, who still return from the away match in Campania with the renewed awareness of being able to compete on equal terms even with top-level teams.
THE RACE – After the initial back and forth, Battipaglia finds continuity in archery with Ferrari and Potolicchio and flies to +12 (21-9). A positive mini break of 6-0, however, brings the university students into the game, who redeem themselves at the start of the second period with a run of 13-2 which leads them to overtake on 24-23. Striulli and teammates defended aggressively and found high-percentage solutions in the offensive midfield, also reaching +5 thanks to Puggioni’s bombshell. The bells reply and make up for it, but the CUS is determined and finds a way to extend again up to +7 with Saias (38-31) before returning to the locker room with a full possession advantage.
Back on the field, the match becomes more and more balanced: Potolicchio impacts at 42, then CUS goes back but is restarted. The two teams go hand in hand for a long time in the score, then Alford writes the +2 Battipaglia a handful of seconds from 30′ (56-54).
In the last quarter things change: the two defenses mirror each other (zone against zone), but the hosts manage to find greater continuity in attack, and taking advantage of some turnovers from the cussine they accelerate up to +7 with Lombardi and Ferrari. This time the Cagliari quintet struggled to come up with an answer, so Potolicchio and his companions put out into the deep and close it on +15, condemning the CUS to defeat.
“The team played a great match – commented coach Federico Xaxa – there was probably a slight decrease in energy in the last quarter. However, the girls have been very good: Battipaglia aims high, it’s a growing team and has some important players. Despite this, even today we still regret not having closed the game after having conducted it for large stretches. I see the glass as half full: we are ready to win a few more games and get into the playouts”.
Omeps Givova Battipaglia-CUS Cagliari 80-65
Battipaglia: Seka 7, Potolicchio 6, Cutrupi 9, Milani 5, Ferrari 20, Lombardi 5, Crudo 10, Zanetti 2, Alford 14, Chiovato 2. Coach: Maslarinos
CUS Cagliari: Puggioni 7, Caldaro 7, Giangrasso 8, Stawinska 13, Striulli 4, Paoletti 8, Venanzi, Saias 7, Gagliano 11, Usai. Coach: Xaxa
Partial: 23-15; 35-38; 56-54
Referees: Di Luzio and Di Pilato
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