Guerri Napoli secured a victory on the final day of the championship. The Azzurri defeated Old Wild West Udine by 98-71 in the match played this afternoon at the Alcott Arena. Guerri achieved its fourth consecutive home win, closing the season in tenth place. Before the game, Coach Repesa had to renounce Mitrou-Long, who was out due to a recurrence of his hand injury.
After a balanced start with baskets by Doyle and Tote for Napoli, Spencer and Hickey for Udine, Dawkins's three-pointers allowed Udine to break the lead to 14-21. Napoli returned to the scoreboard with Faggian, and the first quarter ended 16-21. Scoring was limited at the start of the second quarter, with both teams having poor free throw percentages. Two consecutive baskets by Toté made it 23-25 , Udine called a timeout, but Whaley scores it on a fast break. Guerri continued their good run with Doyle and Toté, but Calzavara scored five consecutive points for Udine, 36-33, Napoli called a timeout. In the final third, El Amin made a three-pointer, Da Ros scored on a fast break, but Flagg made it 42-36 at the buzzer.
Udine got off to a strong start in the second half, with Mekowulu and Dawkins taking the lead. Faggian hit a three-pointer, Christon responded, but Guerri ran out 6-0 to make it 55-49 with four minutes left. Udine called a timeout. Napoli hit back-to-back threes with El-Amin and Faggian to make it 66-55. The quarter ended 71-58 with Ikangi's three-pointer at the buzzer. Caruso got off to a great start in the final quarter, scoring five points. Doyle's three-pointer made it 79-62. Udine responded on the break, but threes from Marshall and Totè bringing the Azzurri up 88-64 with five minutes left. Faggian's long-range shot sent the Alcott Arena into a frenzy, definitively sealing the game. Esposito and Ferrara made their Serie A debuts, with Gloria's points sealing the final victory, 98-71 for Guerri.
Box Score:
Whaley 4, Flagg 12, El-Amin 20, Faggian 17, Marshall 5, Gloria 2, Doyle 12, Caruso 9, Esposito, Ferrara, Totè 15, Bolton 2.
Jasmin Repesa:
There's no need to talk about statistics tonight. I want to thank the team and the club for this final part of the season. The match didn't matter for the standings, but it served to send an important message of great seriousness. The team responded with great professionalism on the pitch; they were truly brilliant. Congratulations to them. Everyone contributed to this win. Today was a new beginning for me. Our atmosphere is very welcoming, and I appreciate that. Tomorrow we'll start working on next year.