By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The defending Italian champions continue to struggle in the Legabasket, suffering their eighth defeat in Round 23 and falling to fourth place in the standings.
Reyer Venice repelled Ettore Messina’s late push and improved to 16-7, seizing third place over Milano with a 78-72 home victory.
Rayjon Tucker led the hosts with 14 points, Marco Spissu added 13 with six assists, Jeff Brooks was on the verge of a double-double with 10 points and eight assists, and Amedeo Tessitore followed with 10 points as well.
As for Milano, Shabazz Napier and Nikola Mirotic managed to trim the 16-point deficit to just 76-72, but Venice prevailed in the last minute. The US guard was the top scorer for the losing side with 18 points, while Mirotic had 16 with eight rebounds.
Andrea Cinciarini takes down Virtus Bologna in overtime
What a game and win for VL Pesaro at the Vitrifrigo Arena! They defeated Virtus Bologna 87-86 in overtime, with Andrea Cinciarini scoring the decisive free throw with two seconds left.
Luca Banchi’s side was on the verge of victory in regular time, but Markis McDuffie tied the game with 42 seconds remaining, hitting a three-pointer. Awudu Abass for Virtus and Matteo Tambone for Pesaro missed opportunities to clinch the victory, sending the match into overtime.
With 12 seconds left, Pesaro seemed to have the game in their hands, but Marco Belinelli managed to get to the line and tie the match with three free throws. However, Alessandro Pajola fouled Cinciarini with two seconds remaining. The experienced point guard made the first free throw but missed the second, and Pesaro emerged victorious.
McDuffie led the winning team with 23 points and eight boards, while Cinciarini had a great all-around performance with 19 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Leonardo Tote added 13 points with eight boards, while Justin Wright-Foreman followed with 12.
Belinelli was Virtus Bologna’s top scorer with 18 points, but Tornike Shengelia recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Mickey was just two boards shy of another double-double, scoring 16 points. Iffe Lundberg followed with 15 points.
Legabasket Round 23 results:
Basket Napoli – Pistoia 93-95 OT
Reggiana – Varese 113-80
Venice – Milano 78-72
Scafati – Tortona 94-91
Sassari – Brescia 106-101 OT
Brindisi – Trento 89-82
Pesaro – Virtus Bologna 87-86 OT
Treviso – Cremona 78-71
Standings: Brescia 17-6, Venice 16-7, Virtus Bologna 16-7, Milano 15-8…