Napoli Basketball lose against Pallacanestro Trieste for 84-79 in the second round of the championship, played this evening at PalaBarbuto.
The first score of the game went to the visitors with Brown, but Napoli responded with a 7-0 run from Mitrou-Long and Simms, interrupted by Brown's second three-pointer. The game was well-balanced, with Ruzzier scoring on a drive, and Croswell making a splash under the boards, making it 11-8. Flagg scored five consecutive points to make it 18-14 for Napoli, and Candussi made no mistake from the free throw line, bringing Trieste back to within 1. The visiting team continued to score by Candussi, and the quarter ended 19-all. El-Amin scores a three-pointer, Trieste reply with a 5-0 run from Moretti, and Gentile ties the score at 24. Another three-pointer for the visitors comes from Uthoff, but the Azzurri take the lead again with El-Amin. He scores seven points in the first half of the second period, but it's Sissoko and Brown, 3-for-3 from the line, that give the visitors a four-point lead with five minutes to go. Napoli scores again through Croswell, Uthoff made two on a fast break, and Ramsey's three-pointer makes it 39-32, forcing Magro to call a timeout. Croswell scores from deep, with both teams missing, Brown hits another three-pointer, Napoli scores through Mitrou-Long, Simms is called for a technical foul, and Sissoko adds two, but El-Amin, with another three-pointer, brings Napoli back up. The quarter ends 39-47 with Ross making free throws.
Good start fort Trieste with Ramsey hitting a 3-pointer, Mitrou-Long scoring four straight points, Simms's three-pointer making it 46-52, Sissoko dunking a tap-in, Caruso scoring from deep, Mitrou-Long on a breakaway forcing Gonzales to call a timeout. Napoli's good run continued, with Caruso bringing the Azzurri to within 2. The PalaBarbuto made its presence felt, and Mitrou-Long scored the two points to take the lead. With three minutes remaining, the score was 56-56. Croswell continued his run with a tap-in, Flagg dunking to make it 60-56, and Gentile added a six-pointer. The quarter ended with Napoli leading 62-56. Trieste scores with Moretti, who makes five in a row, Magro calls a timeout. The visitors continue their run with Ross, El-Amin ties the score at 64. The intensity increases, Mitrou Long scores on a fast break, Ross hits a three-pointer from far away, Ramsey makes no mistake on the drive, and with 3:45 left, Trieste leads 69-66. Trieste takes another run with Ross, Mitrou-Long hits a three-pointer to bring the score to -2, but Ramsey responds from long range. Napoli tries again with their point guard, but a technical foul is called, putting Trieste back within two possessions. Ross's three-pointer with 54 seconds to go effectively close the game. The match ends 84-79 with threes from Mitrou Long and Simm to reduce the gap. Napoli Basket will play Sunday, the 19 of October, at 19:00 on the road vs Nutribullet Treviso.
Alessandro Magro Declaration:
“It was a very emotional debut at PalaBarbuto. You could feel the tremendous support from our players. There's a strong desire to not give up until the end; Napoli deserves a lot of effort. We're trying to improve day by day. We played against a team with tremendous talent. It was a two-faced game. We started off too timidly; we need to improve. Then we came back well, with a great effort. The game turned on a few incidents that penalized us. I'm proud because Saccoccia held the court well, as did Gentile; Caruso also played a different game than in his debut. Toward the end, foul trouble forced me to make some decisions. Mitrou Long had four fouls, and it was obvious they kept attacking him. Despite the absence of our starting guard, we played a game with great esire. Obviously, there's disappointment; we had a chance to win the game. The 21 turnovers are too many, while the free throw percentage, 28-9, is definitely something to watch.
Box Score:
Flagg 11, Mitrou-Long 21, El-Amin 14, Croswell 10, Faggian, Saccoccia, Treier, Gentile 4, Simms 13, Caruso 6, Gloria n.e., Bolton n.e.