BERTRAM TORTONA – VIRTUS SEGAFREDO BOLOGNA 94-82 (24-18, 50-41; 80-56)
The worst Virtus of the season suffers a slap in the face from Tortona and ends up in the semifinal of the Italian Cup. It was known that Ramondino’s team was not a simple customer, but a defeat of this magnitude was not foreseeable by anyone. With bad defense, nervousness and a long September friendly attitude it doesn’t go far, and that all of this happened when there was a cup up for grabs was a mortal sin. The emblem of the match is the third quarter. After a bad first half but an altogether acceptable gap (-9) one would have expected a reaction of determination, and Tortona dominated by scoring 30 points and climbing to +24. More than 90 points conceded, and also in attack – usually the Juventus strength – there were big problems against the excellent Tortona area. In short, nothing at all worked.
Really applause for Ramondino and his players, but Scariolo will have to ask himself many questions, because after having failed the appointment with the Italian Cup it will be necessary to change the register. Some players who had just returned were in precarious conditions, of course, but this does not explain the attitude seen on the pitch in Pesaro for 30 minutes.
Chronicle: we start to the sound of triples between Sanders and Belinelli, and with Virtus rather distracted behind. The American from Tortona scores the first 11 points of his, and with Cain – who kills Sampson twice – Ramondino’s team takes the first advantage: 24-14 with a partial 11-0. Hervey and Mannion limit the damage, and at 10 ‘the score is 24-18.
Tortona has double the energy, even with the second quintet, and with Severini and Tavernelli it flies to +12 (33-21). In the timeout Scariolo gets angry, Teodosic also makes two screams, but it is useless. Filloy always makes the basket and brings his to +17 (38-21). Weems tries to shake him, halfway through the score is 50-41, with Hervey’s triple on the buzzer.
It starts again and Tortona still goes at double the speed: Macura and Daum and immediate 8-0 for the 58-41. The former Xavier does what he wants, scores 13 in the fourth and rejects any attempt to return to Juventus. With Mascolo Derthona reaches +20 (74-54), and closes the third quarter ahead 80-56, with 30 points scored. And the game in fact ended here, because no Juventus attempt in the last quarter leads to nothing. Segafredo tries and places a 14-0, but when Jaiteh makes a foul on Cain and takes the technical as well, every little hope ends. There is also time for a technician in Scariolo. It ends 94-82, Tortona in the final with Milan, Virtus at home.
BERTRAM TORTONA – VIRTUS SEGAFREDO BOLOGNA 94-82 (24-18, 50-41; 80-56)
TORTONA: Mortellaro NE; Cannon 4; Baldi NE; Tavernelli; Miljkovic; Filloy 18; Mascolo 15; Severini 4; Sanders 16; Daum 12; Cain 7; Macura 18. All. Ramondino
VIRTUS: 0 weavers; Lanyard 10; Mannion 2; Belinelli 18; Pajola 7; Alibegovic 2; Hervey 5; Ruzzier NE; Jaiteh 15; Sampson 2; Weems 17; Theodosic 4. All. Scariolo
(photo Bertram Tortona)
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