Napoli Basket 100 – Avellino 99
(24-23, 27-35, 23-25, 26-16)
Napoli Basketball, led by Coach Alessandro Magro and in the presence of Club President Matt Rizzetta, claimed its first win of the new season with a thrilling 100-99 victory over Avellino in Campobasso, where the team is currently holding training camp.
Napoli started strong behind early baskets from Rasir Bolton and Guglielmo Caruso, but Avellino responded with a 13-4 run to take the lead. Key contributions from Ed Croswell and Savion Flagg off the bench helped Napoli close the first quarter ahead by one (24-23).
The second quarter saw Avellino catch fire from three-point range, taking a 58-51 advantage into halftime. Napoli opened the third period with a 6-0 run, but Avellino quickly countered, maintaining control behind sharp shooting from Mussini, and entered the fourth with a 83-74 lead.
In the final quarter, Napoli surged back behind an inspired Bolton, putting together an 18-7 run to reclaim the lead. Down the stretch, a clutch three-pointer from Flagg and a powerful dunk from Croswell sealed the victory. Napoli’s late push secured a hard-fought 100-99 win in a game played with playoff-like intensity.
Coach Magro’s comments:
"We’re very pleased with this game. We managed playing time carefully and tried to experiment as much as possible. We allowed the guys to make mistakes, which gave us coaches a clearer idea of where we want to go and what needs to be done. The players showed great willingness to build together. This was a real test against a team that will be a contender in Serie A2. We’ll take all the positives from this week, and now we’re ready to head back to Naples and keep working.”