Cagliari snatches the victory from Ragusa after extra time. A game of great intensity in which the super work of the Iblean girls was not enough. With Consolini and Labanca still out of action, we knew from the day before that it wouldn’t be an easy match. Let’s start with the news. First quarter of the game with the home team finding Precious Johnson as the main attack terminal and with Narviciute and Cedolini managing to destroy Nasraoui and Peric while Moriconi and Di Fine kept Piedel and Bovenzi well. The second half begins with Ragusa at +4 but a foul situation is starting to worry; when Cagliari tries to nibble away at the disadvantage, Ragusa reacts. The -2 with Bovenzi’s first triple prompts an immediate response from Moriconi who with Narviciute and Johnson allows Ragusa to reach +9 at the break, 36-27. In the third half with Cedolini and Narviciute burdened with fouls, the management of the bench becomes complicated, especially in the defensive phase. Nastraoui on the other side takes space and baskets, leading the team by the hand aided by the direction of Bovenzi. 4’18 from the siren, in a difficult situation, Di Fine and Mazza allow Ragusa to close the half at +4. Moriconi in a fortuitous clash of play falls badly to the ground and hits his head, remaining on the ground. The doctors intervene, among a group of teammates; fear and discomfort but fortunately nothing serious. Moriconi, after a few minutes of rest on the bench, will return to the field in the last quarter. And it is in the last fraction that Narviciute’s defensive direction, a guarantee up to that point, fails. The Ragusa player is forced to come out with 5 fouls and Bovenzi with Nasraoui do the rest. From +10 for Ragusa with 4 minutes left, Cagliari scores with an entry from Bovenzi and a double triple from Mastraoui. Partial score of 8 to zero which brings the Cagliari team back to -2 and with very high morale. A bad blow for Cedolini to an already worn shoulder adds to the discomfort of the Ibleas. Bovenzi and Granzotto score again from the wide arc and Ragusa chases and grabs extra time with Moriconi, defending Cagliari’s last attack. Passalacqua also loses Cedolini for 5 fouls and eleven points from Nastraoui alone in the last five minutes, tell the story of the end of the match. A systematic foul and careful management of time outs are not enough to overturn a match in which the Ragusa eagles gave their all. In the statistics, 24 points from second chances (against 6 by Cagliari), 16 points from the bench (against 2 by Cagliari) and 22 points on the counterattack against 2 by the opponents who however punished from long range, despite the shots almost always being contested.
“Clearly we had several opportunities, in the third and last quarter we didn’t have the same energy as the first part of the match – commented Passalacqua’s coach, Buzzanca -. We made a few too many mistakes which penalized us, even on some open shots which we didn’t make the most of. Good performance from Mazza, Johnson was also solid. We were penalized by fouls and morally, Moriconi’s clash of play made us worry in a delicate moment of the match. We still managed to react but it was expensive. Patience. We will treasure this match; we have a week off, we need to think about recharging our batteries.”
“We want to get out of the fight for survival and for us every match is fundamental. Ragusa, despite the injuries, is a team that wants to be a protagonist in the play offs and we knew that it would still be a very difficult match – says coach Federico
At the start of the match, an overshirt worn by Passalacqua to show her closeness to Bea Stroscio who on 3 February will be operated on at the Salus clinic in Reggio Emilia by Dr Rodolfo Rocchi for the reconstruction of the cruciate ligament of her left knee: “Go Bea!”
Passalacqua – Cus Cagliari 68-76
The scoreboard
18-14; 36-27 (18-13); 45-41 (9-14); 60-60 (15-19); 68-76 (8-16)
Passalacqua Ragusa: Mallo, Consolini ne, Cedolini 2, Mazza 13, Moriconi 5, Narviciute 6, Olodo 3, Di Fine 11, Labanca ne, Johnson 28. Coach Buzzanca
Cus Cagliari: Nasraoui 34, Piedel 5, Bovenzi 21, Caldaro ne, Reggiani, Granzotto 7, Peric 7, Lai ne, Gagliano 2, Cassai ne, Salvemme, Corso ne. Annex Xaxa
Notes. Two-pointers: Ragusa 21/51 (41%) Cagliari 17/40 (42%); Three-pointers: Ragusa 5/25 (20%), Cagliari 9/23 (39%); Free throws: Ragusa 11/14 (78%) Cagliari 15/22 (48%); Rebounds: Ragusa 50, Cagliari 41: Turnovers, Ragusa 20, Cagliari 19; Recovered balls Ragusa 11, Cagliari 9; Assist Ragusa 18, Cagliari 22.
Exits for 5 fouls: Narviciute (RG), Cedolini (RG) Peric (CA)
Referees: Emanuela Tommasi from Veroli (Frosinone) and Silvio Faro from Tivoli (Rome).
Cagliari vs Ragusa: Women’s Basketball Extra-Time Win
