First league win for Napoli Basketball, winning 86-79 away against Nutribullett Treviso in the third matchday of the Serie A1 Championship. The Azzurri, after trailing in the first quarter, played a high-intensity game, making a decisive run in the second half.
Pinkins scored the first points of the game, four for him, dunk for Simms. Flagg and Mitrou-Long gave the Azzurri the lead. Ragland made it 7-6. Treviso had a good run, scoring through Olisevicius, an alley-hoop between Mitrou-Long and Croswell, dunk for Stephens, making it 11-8 at mid-quarter. Bolton scored on a fast break, Ragland three-pointer, Flagg scored from deep, but Treviso make a 6-0 run, forcing Coach Magro to call a timeout. The score is 22-16 Treviso at the end of first quarter.
El Amin scores, 1 of 2 free throws for Nutribullett, Croswell and Abdul Rahman exchange blows, and Gentile's triple makes it 25-23. The game is evenly matched, with Gentile's next three point shot putting Napoli ahead and Treviso calling a timeout. Nutribullett gets back on the scoreboard with five consecutive points from Olisevicius, but Ragland make a flagrant foul on El Amin, who scores four points to tie the score at 32. Napoli takes the lead again with a three-pointer from Bolton, but Olisevicius makes no mistake from the line. Bolton leads the Azzurri's attack, Flagg score from middle but Chillo, from three, score for 39-39. Napoli closes out strongly with a 4-0 minibreak that brings the score to 43-39 at halftime.
Stephens and Mitrou-Long scored early in the third quarter, with Ragland and Simms scoring. Flagg made 43-51 on a fast break.Treviso called a timeout. Napoli's good run continued with Bolton, Pinkins scoring again, and Stephens made it 47-53 midway through the quarter. Free throws were the only shot scored, with Mitrou-Long and Flagg extending the Azzurri's 6-0 run to 50-62.In the last minute, El Amin with a three-pointer, Stephens's tap-in, and Flagg at the buzzer to make it 67-54 at the final break.
Simms immediately makes a three-pointer, Stephens and Croswell score from deep, and Treviso tries to close the gap with Olisevicius and Ragland. Coach Magro calls a timeout. Napoli scores another three-pointer with Simms, Olisevicius responds, making it 76-66 with five minutes remaining. The Azzurri post another 5-0 mini-break with Croswell and Mitrou Long. Treviso calls a timeout. Bolton scores another shot, Ragland makes a 3-pointer to bring the score to -12 points with 100 seconds left, 71-83. Nutribullett tries until the end, but the Azzurri manage their lead well. Napoli win 86-79 and can celebrate their first win of the season. The Azzurri will return to the field next Sunday, October 26th, at 5:30 pm, at the Alcott Arena against Unahotels Reggio Emilia.
Box Score: Flagg 18, Bolton 18, Mitrou-Long 13, El-Amin 11, Croswell 10, Simms 10, Gentile 6, Caruso, Treier, Faggian, Saccoccia n.e., Gloria n.e.
Coach Magro:
"It was an important match for both teams, with a high specific weight despite it being the third match of the league. We started off tense, missing several easy shots. Then we gained confidence. One of the keys was our ability to run for the court. We'll have time to review the game and understand the motivations that led us to the victory. We'd like to try to not repeat the mistakes we made towards the end. I think this team made a significant step forward, especially in defense. We have the size to defend hard. We worked well on Joe Ragland, trying to tire him out, and it paid off. Six players in double figures means we're a team that can have several key players. We'll take home the victory. Alessandro Rossi is a friend, Treviso is a club we respect. Best of luck to them for the future."
Savion Flagg:
"We struggled against Trieste, but I'm very proud because we managed to play the way we wanted in the second half, and that was our strength. I'm satisfied with my performance, but all the entire team made well for allowing us to play a great game."