2006-07Regular SeasonRound 14
January 31, 2007 CET: 19:45
Local time: 19:45 PALAELDO

Benetton Treviso finished third in Group C by downing Eldo Napoli 62-64

In a decisive game for both teams, Benetton Treviso finished third in Group C by downing Eldo Napoli 62-64 in come-from-behind fashion to win their all-Italian showdown on Thursday. Benetton rallied from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to hold onto third place in Group C with a 8-6 record. Meanwhile, Eldo Napoli dropped to 6-8 and finishing sixth in Group C, but still has a slim chance to advance to the Top 16 as the best sixth-ranked team depending on what happens in Group B on Thursday. Marcus Goree led the winners with 13 points, including a critical three-pointer that sealed the win with 17.3 seconds to go. Terrell Lyday had 10 for Benetton, which also had four other players with at least 8 points. Tyrone Ellis had 16 points for Napoli, Michel Morandais added 13 and Ansu Sesay 11. Eldo led 60-54 with 4 minutes to go, but Benetton used a 0-10 run that Goree capped with a big triple to get a key road win.

Mason Rocca just needed 5 seconds after tipoff to score in the paint while Sesay buried a triple for a 5-0 Eldo lead. Ellis added a put-back basket before a turnaround jumper by Morandais made Benetton call timeout at 9-0. The guests went scoreless for almost 3 minutes until Lyday put down a driving layup. Eldo kept playing with more intensity, as Morandais scored on an offensive rebound while Benetton kept missing and Rocca's free throw gave the hosts a 14-2 lead. Joey Beard and Lyday tried to rescue Benetton with 5 quick points, getting the guests within 15-7. Eldo called timeout but Benetton kept its momentum going. Goree made more foul shots while Bryant Smith buried a corner triple that capped a 0-11 run and brought Benetton back to life at 15-13. Sesay nailed a long two-pointer while Beard and Alessandro Cittadini traded dunks to fix the score at 19-15 after 10 minutes.

Early in the second quarter, Marco Mordente fed Beard for a reverse layup but Morandais beat the shot clock with a baseline jumper and soon added a coast-to-coast layup, good for a 23-17 Eldo lead. Valerio Spinelli stepped up with a driving layup, making Benetton call timeout at 25-17. Benetton could not find the way to the basket for 3 long minutes during which Jeff Trepagnier dunked it off a midcourt steal and Rocca added a second-chance basket for a 29-17 Eldo lead. Matteo Malaventura capped a 12-0 run for Eldo with a long two-pointer, as Benetton missed six straight shots until Lyday stepped up with a layup-plus-free throw. Malaventura fired in another shot and Ellis made free throws to make it a 15-point game, 35-20. Matteo Soragna hit a turnaround jumper and Spencer Nelson added free throws in a 0-8 run that Mordente capped with consecutive layups to bring Benetton back to life, 35-28, at halftime.

Benetton tried a zone defense after the break and Eldo failed to find its scoring rhythm. Meanwhile, Lyday buried one from downtown to get the guests as close as 35-31. Ellis answered from the arc, so Benetton switched back to man-to-man defense. Sesay scored in penetration while Morandais nailed an off-balance fallaway jumper, good for a 42-32 Eldo lead. Soragna nailed a triple and Nelson found space for a jumper, but Jay Larranaga joined the three-point festival to keep Eldo ahead, 45-37. Rocca returned to the bench with 4 fouls and Napoli opted to use a zone defense and slow down its offense. As such, both teams went scoreless for 2 minutes until Smith made a free throw. Mordente added a long two-pointer to give Benetton some hope at 45-40. Sesay stepped up with free throws but Beard did the same for Benetton. Morandais buried a triple and had a huge block on Beard to fire up the crowd with Eldo leading 50-42 at the end of the third quarter.

Goree made 3 free throws to start the fourth quarter and Nelson added a fast break layup to bring Benetton within 50-47. The guests kept running their offense through Goree, who scored again before Mordente capped a 0-9 run with a layup that gave Benetton a 50-51 edge. Sesay shined with a tough jumper and Ellis fired in a critical three-pointer, forcing a Benetton timeout at 55-51. Eldo kept fighting for every loose ball, backed by an incredible crowd. Ellis buried another three-pointer but Soragna answered from downtown to keep Benetton as close as 58-54. Trepagnier hit a big jumper that Goree matched with a power layup. Nelson made a free throw and added a jumper to make it a one-point game, 60-59, with 3 minutes to go. Eldo missed a go-to guy in crunch time while Nikos Zisis found his first basket for a 60-61 Benetton edge. It all came down to the final seconds, when with 17.3 seconds left, Goree buried a decisive triple for a 60-64 edge. Eldo ran out of time, as a final put-back basket by Ellis came too late.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Francesco Tedesco, Naples
No results found.
Referees: MARTIN, JOSE; HIERREZUELO, DANIEL; JERSAN, ANDREJ
Attendance: 5000
By Quarter1234
Eldo Napoli19161512
Benetton Basket15131422
End of Quarter1234
Eldo Napoli19355062
Benetton Basket15284264
Eldo Napoli
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 SESAY, ANSU 30:00 11 3/7 1/5 2/2 3 4 7   1   1   2 1 11
5 CITTADINI, ALESSANDRO 16:00 2 1/2     1 1 2     1     3 1  
7 MORENA, DOMENICO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
9 SPINELLI, VALERIO 14:00 2 1/3 0/2     1 1 2   1     2 1 -1
12 ROCCA, MASON 19:00 7 3/8   1/3 3 5 8   3       5 5 11
14 FLAMINI, SIMONE 15:00         1 1 2     1     2 1  
16 MALAVENTURA, MATTEO 10:00 4 2/2 0/1           1 1     1   2
20 TREPAGNIER, JEFF 29:00 4 2/2 0/3   1 4 5 2 2 2   1   1 8
24 LARRANAGA, JAY 11:00 3 0/1 1/2   1 2 3 1   1     4    
25 ELLIS, TYRONE 26:00 16 2/3 3/9 3/4 2 2 4 1   7   1 3 4 6
30 MORANDAIS, MICHEL 30:00 13 5/8 1/4 0/1 1 5 6 1 2 3 1   3 4 14
Team           1 3 4   3 1         6
Totals 200:00 62 19/36 6/26 6/10 14 28 42 7 12 18 2 2 25 18 57
        52.8% 23.1% 60%
Head coach: BUCCHI, PIERO
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Benetton Basket
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 LYDAY, TERRELL 20:00 10 2/4 1/2 3/3   2 2 1 2       1 2 13
5 SMITH, BRYANT 14:00 4 0/1 1/2 1/2   5 5     1     2 1 4
6 ZISIS, NIKOS 31:00 2 1/5 0/2     2 2 4 1 4     2 4 1
7 SORAGNA, MATTEO 29:00 9 1/3 2/6 1/2   3 3 1 1 1     3 2 5
9 MORDENTE, MARCO 26:00 8 4/4 0/1   1   1 1 2 1       3 13
11 RULLO, ROBERTO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
15 GIGLI, ANGELO 3:00     0/1             1         -2
17 NELSON, SPENCER 29:00 9 3/4 0/2 3/4 1 5 6 2   3 1 1 4 5 11
18 GOREE, MARCUS 32:00 13 2/5 1/2 6/7   4 4 2 4   1   1 6 24
19 BEARD, JOEY 16:00 9 3/6   3/4 1 2 3   2     1 5 2 6
Team           2 1 3   6           9
Totals 200:00 64 16/32 5/18 17/22 5 24 29 11 18 11 2 2 18 25 84
        50% 27.8% 77.3%
Head coach: BLATT, DAVID
This game has no play by play yet

Head Coaches

BUCCHI, PIERO
Eldo Napoli
"We were completely blocked in the final part of the game because of the tension. We were forced to win this game and we couldn't find the right concentration until the end. Benetton punished us because we didn't run anymore, we were blocked. We know we have a little chance to qualify as the best sixth, but if we are eliminated, I can say that we lost the Top 16 not tonight but in a couple of games that we could have won a month ago."
BLATT, DAVID
Benetton Basket
"Although we were already qualified, we played in a professional way until the end of the game. We always play at our best to win every game. We did it. We suffered at the beginning of the game but then we found the right way to play this match, all together with a great contribution from the bench. Napoli won in Treviso and we wanted to win here."

Players

SESAY, ANSU
Eldo Napoli
"We lost a big chance. We started very well but we weren't able to keep the pace until the end. We thought this could be a great night for us. Sometimes we play very well for a period but then relax, and this is what happened tonight. That made us lose concentration and intensity. It's a big shame."
SORAGNA, MATTEO
Benetton Basket
"It was a very strange and particular game, two Italian teams facing each other in a crucial match for one of them. We are professional players and we respect our club and the competition. We played a normal game because we never want to hear anybody say we didn't play at our best. For sure we're disappointed for Napoli because it would be great if another Italian team could reach the Top 16, but this is sports. Now we're waiting for the draw to know our opponents, knowing from previous experience that the Top 16 is another story, very tough and hard, where everything can happen."
No results found.