Marco Spissu hit a decisive three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining on Sunday to lift Napoli Basketball to a 90-89 victory over Pallacanestro Trieste in Lega Basket Serie A action.
Trieste had controlled large stretches of the contest at the PalaBarbuto, building a 10-point advantage during the third quarter at 67-57. The visitors still held a 73-65 lead heading into the final period before Napoli mounted a late comeback.
Markel Galloway paced Trieste with 22 points, while teammate Jayce McDermott added 20 points and Jarrett Jones chipped in 16. Despite those offensive performances, Trieste failed to convert on its final possession after Spissu’s late basket.
Napoli opened the final frame with a 5-0 run sparked by a basket from Spissu and a three-pointer from Shake Milton Dowtin. Trieste answered through Galloway and McDermott to push the lead back to 78-70.
Trieste maintained a narrow advantage into the final minute. Dowtin made one of two free throws with under a minute left to trim the deficit to 86-85 after teammate Ross fouled out.
Galloway extended the lead to 88-85 from the charity stripe with 45 seconds left. Dowtin answered with a layup before McDermott split a pair of free throws to make it 89-87 for Trieste.
With the clock winding down, Napoli ran its final offensive set through Spissu. The guard found space beyond the arc and connected from three-point range to give the hosts a 90-89 edge with 12 seconds left on the game clock.
Trieste called timeout to set up a potential game-winning shot, but the visitors could not find the target on their final possession as the final buzzer sounded.
Spissu finished the night with 16 points for Napoli, supporting double-figure nights from Dowtin with 15 points, Zacharie Seljaas with 10, Kevin Hervey with 14, and Trey Ramsey with 11 under coach Josip Repeša.
The opening period favored the hosts early as Tarczewski opened the scoring inside. Napoli pushed ahead 34-27 by the end of the first quarter following a steal and fast-break basket by Faggian.
Trieste responded in the second quarter behind accurate perimeter shooting. McDermott converted from long range to cap a 36-36 tie, and subsequent baskets from Ross and Candussi pushed the visitors to a 51-45 halftime advantage.
Coach F. Taccetti’s squad maintained that momentum through the third period, stretching the margin to double digits before Napoli’s decisive fourth-quarter response.
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