Napoli Basketball secured its fourth consecutive EuroCup win, defeating Tofas Bursa 105–101 after overtime in the game of the Day 4 of EuroCup Group C. After dominating the first part of the game, the Azzurri allowed the Turkish team to fight their way back into the contest. Napoli managed to recover and claimed the win in overtime.
Scoring was limited in the opening minutes, with Ramsey and Dowtin Jr. getting Napoli on the board, while Thurman gave the visitors their first lead at 9–7. Napoli then produced the first scoring run of the game, led by Seljaas’ three-pointers and baskets from Caruso and Petrucelli. Spissu’s three-pointer made it 22–11 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. The period ended 29–20 following White’s dunk. In the second quarter, Jones led his team with two three-pointers and free throws to make it 33–30. Seljaas knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the game, while Brown scored to make it 39–30 midway through the quarter. Ramsey hit two consecutive three-pointers, Reynolds responded for Tofas, and Seljaas struck again from beyond the arc. Reynolds’ free throws brought the score to 53–42 at halftime.
Napoli started the second half with a basket from Dowtin Jr., while Jones continued to lead the way for Tofas. Brown made it 58–51, prompting a timeout from Repesa. The Turkish side continued its comeback with a three-point play from Jones, and Reynolds cut the deficit to two before Spissu and Brown responded with three-pointers to make it 66–58 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Caruso and McNeace scored inside, Petrucelli connected from the corner, and Jones scored at the buzzer to make it 73–66 heading into the final quarter. Tofas came out firing in the fourth, opening with a 5–0 run and forcing Repesa to call a timeout. White ended Napoli’s scoring drought, but Nutall completed another three-point play to tie the game at 75. Tofas took the lead through Nutall, before Seljaas and Ramsey scored for Napoli. McNeace made it 84–80 with five minutes remaining.
The Turkish team scored at the buzzer through Thurman, and Seljaas answered from the corner. Dowtin Jr. cut the deficit to one with 100 seconds left. Nutall made his free throws, Brown tied the game, and White put Napoli ahead 93–91 with 25 seconds remaining. Jones tied the score with 12.6 seconds left, sending the game into overtime. Napoli made a strong start to overtime, with baskets from Petrucelli, White and Dowtin Jr. giving the Azzurri a 99–93 lead and prompting a timeout from Cancellieri. Tofas responded with a three-pointer from Jones, and Reynolds cut the deficit to one. However, Napoli held firm defensively and converted its free throws. Reynolds then hit a spectacular three-pointer to make it 102–101, but Seljaas and Dowtin Jr. sealed the 105–101 victory from the free-throw line.
Coach Jasmin Repesa:
“First of all, I would like to thank our fans. They were crucial during the most difficult moments of the game, helping us get back into it.
Obviously, I’m happy with the win, but unfortunately, we did everything we needed to do to lose this game. We didn’t play at our level in the second half.
There are many reasons for that, from travel to the number of games we’ve played, but we need to maintain a high level of concentration. I had specifically asked the team to focus on rebounding and turnovers, but that didn’t happen.
We also need our new players to contribute more to the team. I’m not satisfied.”