La Molisana Magnolia Campobasso – Umana Reyer Venezia 63-66
Partials: 14-15, 12-18, 19-16, 18-17.
La Molisana Magnolia Campobasso: Moffa, Kunaiyi 17, Narviciute ne, Kacerik 3, Trimboli 2, Giacchetti, Quinonez Mina 17, Dedic 14, Morrison 3, Mistinova 7. Team Sabatelli
Umana Reyer: Logoh ne, Berkani 9, Gorini ne, Villa 5, Nicolodi, Pan 3, Meldere ne, Held 5, Fassina 14, Santucci ne, Shepard 11, Kuier 19. Coach Mazzon
After three years the women’s Umana Reyer is back in the championship final! The lionesses win the sporting battle of Campobasso and will play again for the tricolor in the five-match final which will begin on Wednesday 15 May at the Palasport Taliercio. Umana Reyer will once again challenge Famila Wuber Schio who overcame Ragusa also in game 2, after extra time.
The Orogranatas dominate under the scoreboards with 44 total rebounds (14 from Shepard), shooting 40% from the field, but holding the Molisans to 38%. The plays of Kuier, Fassina and Berkani were decisive in the final.
Makurat (foreign rotation) and Cubaj (left hand injury) remain out for the orogranata team.
Mazzon starts with Villa, Fassina, Pan, Kuier and Shepard. Campobasso recovers Mistinova, absent in game 1.
Campobasso starts off strong defensively and finds an 8-3 run in the first 5 minutes (Kunaiyi 6), the orogranata pay for some lost balls. Fassina and Berkani load their opponents with holes and Umana with points from Held, Shepard and Martina herself finds the first advantage after 7′, 10-11. Berkani invents a great floater while Pan serves a nice assist for Kuier who unlocks the scoreboard. The hosts respond with Mistinova and Quinonez. The orogranata also improved in defensive rebounds at the end of the half, 14-15 after 10′.
Umana tightens its defense even more at the start of the second period, offensively the lionesses hit threes with Pan and Held. Campobasso time-out after 12′, 14-21. With Kuier’s bomb the Orogranatas find a double-digit advantage, Campobasso doesn’t give up with Trimboli and the usual Kunaiyi (10). The orogranata defend strongly and recover balls, Shepard fights under the boards like a lioness (already 9 rebounds), but is not precise. Another triple: Fassina. At the end of the half, the locals get back to -5 with Kunaiyi and Dedic’s triple, but Shepard invents a great basket in the final moments of the quarter 26-33 at halftime.
Fassina still has the hot hand at the start of the third quarter and scores another triple. The orogranata try to escape with the defense and two bombs from Kuier (12 for her), one of which with the foul suffered, 30-45 after 24′. Berkani commits the third foul on Morrison who breaks free. Shepard loses a couple of balls also causing an unsportsmanlike foul and four points from Quinonez, -9 Campobasso. Umana returns to +13 with Kuier and Shepard, but the local owners don’t give up anything and with Quinonez and Morrison they return to -7, 42-49, in the 29th minute. The orogranata miss three open triples, Pan commits the fourth foul. The orogranata lose balls (14) and Kunaiyi explodes the Molise building with the -4 basket, inertia for the hosts. 45-49 at the end of the third quarter.
Berkani scores a great triple at the start of the last quarter. Campobasso almost doesn’t score for 4 minutes, but Umana doesn’t take advantage, then Dedic and Quinonez force Mazzon to time out, 49-52 in the 34th minute. Kuier invents a great basket from the low post. Mazzon is given a technical whistle, +4 orogranata. Kuier takes center stage: first he obscures the valley and then scores a great triple. Dedic doesn’t give up and hits again from midrange. Everything happens on the pitch, lots of mistakes on both sides: the stakes are very high. Fassina with a great assist finds Shepard for +7 Umana, 52-59 in the 37th minute, time-out. Kunaiyi finds Dedic, but Berkani’s stop and shot 100″ from time seems to close the game, 54-61. Ministinova disagrees and scores a great triple. Villa makes it 1 of 2 on the line, 57-62 with 42″ to go. Giacchetti’s penetrating shot doesn’t go in, Villa still on the line: 2 out of 2, 57-64. It seems over once again, and yet basketball is a wonderful sport because it is always full of twists and turns: Quinonez first scores the bomb of -4 and then recovers the ball from the Venetian mistake and scores another triple: -1 Campobasso. Ball to Berkani who scores both free throws. The Molise team fail to score the equalizer three-pointer and Umana Reyer can finally celebrate the championship final won three years after the one in 2021!
