Napoli Basketball secured a stunning victory, defeating UnaHotels Reggio Emilia 95-87 in the fourth round of the Serie A championship, played tonight at the Alcott Arena. After trailing by 4 in the first quarter, the Azzurri led the game, led by Mitrou-Long's 23 points and Flagg's 19. Bolton scored 15 points, decisive in the final minutes.
Caruso scored first, while Reggio responded with a Caupain’s triple, Cheatham, and Williams scored to make it 2-7. Napoli made again with a Flagg triple, Barford responded, and Simms made it 8-10 midway through the quarter. Flagg in on fire with another triple, Barford scored on a drive, but it Was Flagg, again, who scored from outside, 14-12. Reggio took the lead again with Caupain, Croswell scored from underneath. Severini also had a triple, and Uglietti scored on a drive. Reggio went into the first half with a 16-20 lead. Treier hits a three-pointer, Croswell dunks for Home Team, Flagg scores on a fast break to make it 23-22, Echenique responds from deep, Caruso finds two greats points as the shot clock expires, and Flagg hits his fourth three-pointer of the game to make it 29-24, forcing Pritzis to call a timeout. Reggio goes on a 4-0 mini-break with Caupain and Barford, a three-pointer for Mitrou Long, a fabulous assist from Flagg to Caruso, and Reggio tries to get back on track with Barford, 35-30, forcing Marco to call a timeout. Mitrou Long scores a great drive-by basket, drawing a technical foul on the Reggio bench, making it 39-31 for Napoli with 2:30 left in the half. The visitors remain in close contact with Barford. Napoli scores in the final minute with Simms, but on the next play, Barford's 3-pointer makes it 42-38 after 20 minutes.
The third quarter wasmatched in the early stages, with a Mitrou-Long-Caruso mini-break for the Azzurri, Echenique scoring from deep, and Mitrou-Long on a breakaway, 50-42. Reggio called a timeout. Caruso made a great block, Mitrou-Long scored another three, and the visitors scored again with Smith, making it 53-44 at 5 minute from last break. Caruso and Uglietti score 2 points, an alley hoop for Croswell, Barford drive-by score, Simms and Barford exchanged threes, and Mitrou-Long invented a three-point play, making it 63-52 with three minutes remaining. Cheatham returned to the scene with a long-range shot, Mitrou-Long made a magic drive-by, and Smith hit a three-pointer. The quarter ended 67-60 for the Azzurri. Cheatham and Bolton exchanged three-pointers, with Croswell hitting two crucial points to make it 74-65. Williams kept Reggio in the game, and Treier tapped in and grabbed a valuable defensive rebound. Mitrou Long and Barford scored, Williams picked up a fifth foul. Vitali made it 80-69 with five minutes to go, but Flagg hit five points to make it 85-71. Reggio ran a 6-0 run, with scores from Echenique and Barford making it 85-77 with three minutes to go. Napoli called a timeout. Reggio again with Capuain, a three-pointer. Bolton made a crucial drive-by basket, Caupain made no mistake from the line, Bolton went 1-of-2 and Barford made another three-pointer. The score was 88-85 with one minute to go, but Mitrou Long hit a crucial three-pointer that sent Alcott Arena into a frenzy. The game ends 95-87 with the Neapolitan fans celebrating their first home win of the season. The Azzurri will return to the field next Sunday, November 2nd, at 7:00 pm, on the Bertram Tortona pitch.
Coach Alessandro Magro Statement
"We're very happy for our first home win. This will bring great excitement. One of our goals is to fill Alcott Arena and get the city involved in the event. We must remain humble, but we have the right to be ambitious. We're growing week after week. This win is the result of the work we've done this week, ever since we started preparing for this game. Congratulations to my entire staff and everyone who works around the team, who have given us incredible support. The players were disciplined in following what we've prepared this week."
Credits. Luca Morvillo