Openjobmetis Varese surged to an 84-99 victory over Una Hotels Reggio Emilia on Saturday, November 14, at PalaBigi, dominating the opening match of the eighth round of Serie A.
Coach Dimitris Priftis watched his Reggio Emilia squad slip into a deep early hole after conceding a run, leaving the hosts anchored near the bottom of the standings with two wins and five losses. Varese bounced back from a 101-96 Basketball Champions League defeat against Peristeri earlier in the week to secure their fifth domestic win of the campaign.
Varese built a commanding advantage by shooting 73.3 percent from two-point range, missing just eight of their 30 attempts inside the arc. Ismael Kamagate led the charge for the visitors with 21 points and five rebounds, sinking 10 of his 13 shots from the field. Stefan Nikolic added 18 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting night.
Hunter Hale contributed 20 points, hitting five triples, while Davide Alviti chipped in 12 points with four makes from long range.
Reggio Emilia managed a 63.2 percent conversion rate on two-pointers, paced by Derek Ogbeide with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jaylen Barford led the hosts with 18 points, and Riccardo Visconti added 14 points in the losing effort.
Reggio Emilia scoring was further rounded out by eight points apiece from Lorenzo Uglietti and Mouhamet Diouf, four points from Leonardo Woldetensae, two points each from Luca Severini and Mamadou Fainke, while Giovanni Manfredotti and Sasha Abreu did not enter the game.
Ball movement favored the visiting side as Varese accumulated 24 team assists, led by eight from David Duke and six from Hale. Reggio Emilia finished with 17 assists, eight coming from the returning Troy Caupain.
Reggio Emilia shot just 33.3 percent from beyond the arc on 8-of-24 shooting, with two three-pointers apiece coming from Lorenzo Uglietti, Luca Severini, and Riccardo Visconti.
The victory lifts Varese into a temporary tie for second place in the Serie A standings alongside Olimpia Milano, Maxima Roma, and Nutribullet Treviso. Reggio Emilia remains tied for the terzultimo spot with Bertram Tortona.
Quarter-by-quarter scoring favored Varese in three of the four periods, starting with a 34-18 opening frame. Reggio Emilia claimed the second quarter 22-21 before Varese pulled away further in the third with a 25-18 margin. The final period ended 26-19 for the hosts, establishing the final 84-99 scoreline.
Varese welcomed back William McDowell-White, who contributed nine points and two assists across 17 minutes of action. Michele Rossi, Denny Borgioni, and Alessandro Nicolini officiated the fixture.
