An extraordinary win by Napoli Basketball, winning 92-90 away on Bertram Tortona in Round 5 of the Serie A championship. Coach Repesa’s squad completed a brilliant comeback, erasing a 16-point deficit from the second quarter, to climb to 8 points in the standings and secure their fourth victory in five games.
Bertram started stronger, immediately pulling ahead 14-4 led by Gorham and Durham. The blues tried to respond with a 3-pointer from Spissu, but Hubb and Alibegovic struck to make it 21-7. Napoli scored through Brown and Caruso, and Alibegovic completed a three-point play. In the final minute, 3-pointers by Seljaas and Spissu brought the score to 26-19 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Tortona accelerated again as Bortolani scored 6 consecutive points. The hosts surged to their largest lead at 46-28, but Repesa’s team refused to give up, trying to get back into the game with 3-pointers from Dowtin Jr., Seljaas, and Ramsey. Late in the half, a mid-range jumper by Dowtin Jr. set the score at 47-41 after two quarters.
Azzurri continued their comeback: Seljaas scored, Gorham and Ramsey traded baskets to cut the deficit to 2, Brown blocked Tortona's attacks, but Jallow restored a +8 lead for his side from the free-throw line at 59-51. White hit a 3-pointer, alongside Caruso, to pull the blues back within reach. Petrucelli tied it at 62, and a three-point play by Caruso put Napoli ahead 64-67 heading into the 30th minute. In the final quarter, Caruso led Napoli to a +7 lead, but Tortona stayed in the game, pulling close again through Jallow and Bortolani. The teams traded 3-pointers between Dowtin Jr. and Bortolani; Ramsey hit a 3-pointer but subsequently picked up his fifth foul. The blues went back up by 4 following an alley-oop between Brown and White, but Tortona brought it back within 1 with a basket from Jallow. Brown scored, Bortolani answered, and Markel Brown grabbed a crucial offensive rebound on the final possession. White made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line, and Napoli's defense was extraordinary on the final play. The game ended in a 92-90 victory for Azzurri.
Coach Repesa:
"We started without defensive energy and with a disjointed offense. Tortona managed to build a good lead in the first half. Afterward, we managed to get back into it, also thanks to the help from the bench. To be honest, the score after the first twenty minutes was fortunate for us, considering how we were playing. We won a very well-deserved match against a very strong opponent on a court where winning will be difficult for many. For us, this is a crucial result as we look toward our first seasonal objective: the Final Eight."
Napoli Basketball will return to the court on Wednesday at 6:00 PM away against Neptunas in Lithuania for Round 5 of Eurocup Group C. On Sunday, November 1, at 12:00 PM, they will play against Reyer Venezia at the Alcott Arena.