Reggio Emilia edges newcomer Brindisi in all-Italian clash
In an all-Italian clash of Group B, Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia rallied to edge Enel Brindisi Basket 82-79 in a highly entertaining clash. Rimantas Kaukenas paced the winners with 17 points, Pietro Aradori scored 14, Darjus Lavrinovic had 12, and Amadeo Della Valle 10. Achille Polonara chipped in with 8 points and 10 rebounds in victory. For the visitors, Djordje Gagic collected 13 points and 8 rebounds, while Kenneth Kadji and David Cournooh also scored 13 apiece. Scott Reynolds had 12 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds, while Adrian Banks finished with 10 for Brindisi which opened the game with 9-19 lead and remained in front for the entire first half. Reggio Emilia briefly went in front at the start of the third quarter, but Brindisi replied and regained the lead. Cournooh’s triple made it 59-67 early in the fourth, but Lavrnovic sparked a 16-3 run during which he scored 8 points for 75-70 lead the host never relinquished.
Brindisi had a great start to the game, as Reynolds hit one, and Andrea Zerini two triples for 1-11 lead. Aradori got the hosts going, and Della Valle hit a triple, but Gagic scored six points to help Brindisi to 13-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. Della Valle hit another three, then had a fastbreak basket to cut the deficit to 20-23 in the second period, but a pair of baskets from Nemanja Milosevic, a put-back from Alex Harris, and a bucket from Reynolds made it 23-31. Kadji’s three-point play extended the lead back to 9 points, but in the final two minutes of the quarter Aradori and Stefano Gentile each hit a triple for Reggio Emilia that made it 37-39 at halftime.
A basket-plus-foul from Gentile and a bucket from Aradori gave the hosts 42-39, but Brindisi quickly regained the lead with a 0-9 run sparked by Kadji’s three-pointer. More baskets from Gagic and Banks opened 44-52 lead midway through the third, but a pair of triples from Kaukenas helped cut the gap to 57-60. The visitors took a 5-point lead into the fourth quarter, before a three-pointer from Cournooh made it 59-67. But Lavrinovic sparked things for the hosts, starting a run in which Ojars Silins hit a three-pointer and Polonara scored a three-point play on a fastbreak for 67-67. After another three from Cournooh, another basket from Kaukenas, and five more points from Lavrinovic made it 75-70. Kadji and Polonara traded baskets, and Kadji made 3 of 4 from the free throw line to cut it to 77-75 with 71 seconds to go. But Kaukenas nailed a triple on ensuing possession, before Andrea De Nicolao sealed it with two foul shots with 13 seconds remaining.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
eurocupbasketball.com