By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The hosts of the Italian final eight, Emporio Armani Milano, will fight with Avellino for the Italian cup on Sunday’s final (18.00 CET) with the team of coach Repese being the favorite to get it.
Milano destroyed Cremona by 32 points (90-58) in a semifinal which was dominated by the “Red shoes”. Five players of the winners scored in double digits, Krunoslav Simon set the tone in the first quarter with 10 points and finished with 17, Rakim Sanders had 16 and Cremona couldn’t keep up. The hosts of the tournament had in total 10/24 threes, while the losing side had just 4/24. Add to this a 20 rebounds advantage for Milano (50-30) and you have the whole picture.
In a game decided in the last seconds, Avellino got the big 71-69 win over Trentino and qualified to the Italian Cup final. Two free throws by Italian center Riccardo Cervi sealed the outcome, while Trentino’s Julian Wright lost the ball in the last play of the game. However, Wright and Toto Forray with 15 points each were the top scorers of the losing side in a really close contest with the two opponents walking side by side throughout the game. Cervi and the Croatian forward Ivan Buva with 19 points each were the leaders of the winners.