Another win for Napoli Basketball, who defeat Reyer Venezia 99–81 in the game of the sixth round of the Championship, played at the Alcott Arena. Coach Repesa’s team, without Brown due to a muscle strain, dominated the second half, building a lead of as many as 30 points. Ramsey was the game’s top scorer with 28 points. Caruso, White and Dowtin Jr. also finished in double figures.
The first quarter was a low-scoring affair. Napoli made the first move with Dowtin Jr. and Ramsey’s three-pointer to take a 9–5 lead, before conceding an 8–0 run by Reyer, thanks to Tessitori and Parks from the free-throw line. Azzurri responded through White, while Petrucelli tied the game. Totè, making his season debut, scored two free throws. Caruso’s basket brought the first quarter to a close with Napoli leading 19–16. Venezia started the second quarter strongly with Green and Cambi, but Napoli relied on an outstanding Caruso, who scored the baskets that put the hosts five points ahead, before Olinde went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. Watson and Ramsey exchanged three-pointers, while Parks’ dunk brought Venezia back within two. Coach Repesa called a timeout. The teams traded free throws in the closing stages, and the quarter ended 44–38, thanks to a spectacular buzzer-beater by Ramsey.
The third quarter belonged to Azzurri. Totè and Faggian scored, while an unstoppable Ramsey pushed Napoli’s lead to 20 points at 64–44. Venezia tried to fight back through former Napoli player De Nicolao, who scored seven consecutive points. In the closing minutes, Spissu and Dowtin Jr. set the score at 74–58 heading into the final quarter. Napoli continued to dominate in the fourth quarter. Dowtin Jr. led the team, while three-pointers from White, Petrucelli and Seljaas extended the lead to 89–63 midway through the period. White’s spectacular put-back dunk sent the Alcott Arena crowd into a frenzy. The game ended with Napoli Basketball securing an impressive 99–81 victory.
Coach Repesa:
“Two teams coming off demanding trips across Europe faced each other. I was very curious to see how we would manage to recover. It was important to get energy from every player.
At the beginning of the game, we had problems with defensive rebounding, which allowed Venezia to stay in the game.
In the third quarter, when we started playing tough defense and managed to get out and run, they were unable to match our intensity.
I’m disappointed with the final minutes. I wasn’t concerned about the final margin, but smart teams cannot finish games this way. I didn’t call a timeout because I wanted to see how the players would react. It’s something we need to work on; it must not happen again. We fully deserved the win and played a great game.
I want to thank our fans. I would love to see the arena full for every game.”
The Azzurri will be back in action on Tuesday evening at 8:00 PM at the Alcott Arena, where they will face Dolomiti Energia Trentino in the sixth round of EuroCup Group C.