Reggio Emilia snags up a win in its Eurocup comeback

Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia made a winning return to the Eurocup, edging Brose Baskets Bamberg 70-67 in a Group A thriller on Wednesday. In a game during which neither team a lead bigger than 5 points, the hosts prevailed thanks to three fourth quarter triples of Federico Mussini, and a game-winning basket by Andrea Cinciarini in the final minute. Cinciarini finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, Rimantas Kaukenas netted 13, while Mussini scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. Amedeo Della Vallealso scored 12, while Riccardo Cervi contributed with 10 points plus 7 rebounds in victory. Carlon Brown paced Bamberg with 26 points, while Brad Wanamaker and Janis Strelnieks scored 12 apiece in a losing effort.

Baskets were few and far between at the start of the contest, as more than 3 minutes have gone by before the first field goal of the game by Rimantas Kaukenas. The visitors grabbed an early lead with a triple from Ryan Thompson, and held 4-9 advantage after baskets from Trevor Mbakwe and Janis Strelnieks. The hosts replied through Kaukenas and Amedeo Della Valle, but Bamberg had 9-11 after the first quarter. In the second, Carlon Brown and Kaukenas traded three-pointers, and another three from Kaukenas made it 19-14. But Brown replied with another one of his own from long range for the visitors, who used 9 unanswered points to take 23-26 lead midway through the second period. Teams traded leads until the halftime, however, 6 points from Andrea Cinciarini helped Reggio Emilia to 35-31 advantage at the break.

Della Valle buried a three-pointer to open the third quarter, but Brown made a jumper and a triple as Bamberg claimed to a 40-40 tie. Della Valle buried another one from downtown, but the visitors used their second chance points. Strelnieks hit a jumper, before Brown converted a basket-plus-free throw on consecutive possessions for 44-48. The visitors held 49-50 after the third quarter, and Federico Mussini knocked down a triple to put Reggio Emilia back in front in the first minute of the fourth. Teams traded baskets with Riccardo Cervi and Cinciarini keeping the hosts with a slim lead. Brown and Bradley Wanamaker helped tie it at 58-58, but Cervi scored a layup-plus-foul, and Mussini followed it with back-to-back triples for 67-62 with 2 minutes left in the game. However, Bamberg tied it at 67-67 with a triple from Stelnieks with 63 seconds left on the clock. But Reggio Emilia went in front on the next possession with a layup from Cinciarini, and Mussini sealed it, splitting free throws in the final second of the game.