Pallacanestro Trieste fell 82-87 to Umana Reyer Venezia at Valmaura in their first home match of the championship. Francesco Taccetti’s squad pushed one of the league’s top contenders for four quarters before falling short in the closing minutes, echoing a similar narrow defeat against Olimpia Milano the previous week at the Forum di Assago.
Taccetti Deploys Natural Starting Lineup As Venezia Strikes First
Trieste head coach Francesco Taccetti opened the contest with his natural starting five, deploying Ross, Galloway, McDermott, Jones, and newcomer Brajkovic. Venezia seized the early momentum behind an opening 5-0 run from Tessitori and Olinde. Ross broke the drought for the hosts with a driving layup, though the white-and-reds initially struggled against the visiting set defense before chipping away with contributions from Jones and Ross, followed by a lead change to 8-7 on a Candussi basket.
Candi and Watson Fuel Reyer Counter-Run Before McDermott Halts the Slide
Venezia responded swiftly as Candi, Olinde, and Watson orchestrated a 12-2 run that forced Taccetti to burn an early timeout. McDermott hit from distance to narrow the deficit, but Trieste trailed 21-15 after the opening quarter. Shooting accuracy dipped sharply for both sides at the start of the second period, with the first two minutes producing only a pair of free throws from Grant and Brajkovic before Ross connected from beyond the arc to make it 22-19.
Ross Carries Home Side With Flawless First-Half Shooting
Trieste clawed back to level terms on a driving score by Jones, keeping within striking distance as the margin narrowed to 30-29. Ross drained a deep three-pointer to tie the game at 32 before Candussi put Venezia in front 35-32. Ross finished the opening two quarters with a perfect shooting percentage from the field, sending Trieste into halftime with a 42-39 advantage.
Jones Dominates Third Quarter Before Late Foul Trouble Mounts
The third quarter belonged to Jones, who scored four consecutive points to push the lead to 46-42. Olinde answered with a putback tap-in, and Candussi added a semi-hook shot to put Venezia ahead 48-46 at the 25th minute. Michele Ruzzier drove for a score, followed by another Candussi triple and free throws from Galloway, giving the hosts a 62-59 edge heading into the final ten minutes after Jones blocked Bowman at the buzzer.
Green Spark Ignites Venezia Comeback in Closing Minutes
McDermott and Ross extended the margin to 67-63 early in the fourth quarter, though Ross played through four personal fouls. A 5-0 scoring run sparked entirely by Green allowed Venezia to retake the lead with 7’26’’ remaining. Jones tied the game at 71-71, and McDermott converted free throws following an offensive rebound to make it 75-72, but Olinde and a three-pointer from Landi flipped the score to 77-75 in favor of the visitors.
Late Turnovers and Fifth Foul Sink Final Hopes
The turning point arrived with just over two minutes remaining when Ross picked up his fifth personal foul, sending him to the bench. Venezia capitalized to build a four-point cushion, but Jones kept Trieste alive with a three-point play and a steal converted into a fast-break dunk, narrowing the gap to 80-79. Wiltjer scored on the ensuing possession, and after a missed shot by Jones, Watson secured a three-point lead with 22 seconds left. Galloway missed a tying shot, and Bowman and Olinde sealed the 87-82 victory from the free-throw line as Trieste walked off to applause from the home supporters.
More on Pallacanestro Trieste
Keep reading
