Third consecutive EuroCup victoty for Napoli Basketball, who secured an 82–86 away win against Polish team Śląsk Wrocław in the third-round game of Group C. Coach Repesa’s team remains at the top of the standings, level with Tofaş Bursa, Napoli’s next opponent. Brown was Napoli’s leading scorer with 15 points. Dowtin, White and Petrucelli also finished in double figures.
The home team made the better start, taking an 8–3 lead through former Napoli player Egbunu and Robinson. However, Azzurri responded with a 10–0 run, featuring four points from Willy Caruso and three-pointers by Faggian and Brown. Baskets from Ramsey and Petrucelli extended Napoli’s lead to 12–19, but Śląsk answered with a 6–0 run through Parsons and Kulikovski. Petrucelli’s score made it 18–22 after the first 10 minutes. The Polish team launched another run, scoring seven unanswered points led by Moore. White and Seljaas responded, and Sankarè hit from beyond the arc to make it 28–33. Robinson and Brown then traded baskets. In the closing stages, Śląsk’s American players once again brought the teams level, with Robinson and Hickey finding the basket. Petrucelli’s three-pointer in the final seconds gave Napoli a 37–40 lead at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Śląsk moved ahead thanks to a four-point play by Niziol and a basket from Robinson, making it 54–49. Ramsey’s three-pointer sparked Napoli into action, and White brought the Azzurri back within reach. Brown and Sternicki exchanged three-pointers, before Caruso scored from the free-throw line and Faggian connected from long range to leave Śląsk leading 63–61 at the end of the third quarter. In the final period, a scoring error by the officials’ table, which had awarded two points to the Polish team, was corrected. Napoli caught fire from beyond the arc, with Seljaas, Dowtin and Brown all hitting three-pointers. White’s dunk made it 84–77 with one minute remaining. The closing moments were tense, as Moore led a 5–0 run for Śląsk. However, Dowtin and Spissu sealed the 82–86 victory from the free-throw line, securing another win for Napoli.
Coach Repesa:
“During our preparations, we discussed the quality of our opponents, who have taken a significant step forward in their recent games, proving themselves to be an excellent team, both talented and athletic.
We knew we had to control the pace of the game and limit turnovers to prevent them from running in transition.. Another important factor was maintaining a high level of concentration for an extended period, including from our less experienced players.
In the fourth quarter, we found the right chemistry to play together on both ends of the floor. We absolutely deserved to win this game, securing an important victory.”
Napoli Basketball will return to action next Sunday, October 18, against Olimpia Milano at the Alcott Arena, with the game already sold out.