Vanoli Basket Cremona scores a breakthrough in the Lombard derby against league leaders Germani Brescia in the second advance of the 2023/24 UnipolSai Serie A, thus achieving arithmetic salvation.
THE MATCH
The news (LBA Press Office Source) – Pecchia (16 points and 5 assists) takes center stage at the start of the game, also finding the Golden center for the opening 7-0, before a jumper and an effective cut from Gabriel (17 points and 4 assists) also put the guests in the match (8-4). Subsequently, Germani’s number 1 and McCullough (14 points) exchange two bombs one after the other, before the show from beyond the arc is interspersed with the presence of Bilan (12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 21 rating ) under the scoreboards and from the free throws of coach Magro’s team at 14-14.
Thanks to the winning combinations between Bilan and Burnell (9 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds) in the opponent’s paint, Brescia then also managed to overtake their opponents, although the first flashes of Lacey (13 points) and the sniper Adrian (7 points and 6 rebounds) do not give Vanoli any ground, then leaving Piccoli with the burden of closing the opening 10 minutes from the line with the local overtaking at 22-21. Massinburg then lights up for the guests (8 points and 5 steals), author of five consecutive points, but the triples from Eboua (21 points, 10 rebounds, 31 rating) and McCullough again make the PalaRadi explode, before even Corey Davis is unblocked for Cremona by supporting the 30-26.
An effective combination between McCullough and Golden writes the new local +6 on the scoreboard, a good attack from Germani closed by a dunk from Burnell interrupts the opponent’s 10-0 break but the energy of a super Eboua extinguishes the effects of a triple by Della Valle (16 points, 4/5 from three, 4 rebounds, 22 rating), maintaining the momentum of the match in favor of a Cremona team who also updated their maximum advantage (41-31). With two bombs from a precise Della Valle and a mid-range basket made by Massinburg, Brescia gets back into close contact, before Eboua closes the half with yet another exclamation point of his match, assisted by Davis (45-41 after 20 ‘).
Vanoli’s number 00 also starts the second half great, making the most of his athleticism near the rim, and then the cuts from Pecchia and McCullough repel the beautiful combinations in the paint of the Christon – Bilan duo (53-47). Five consecutive points of pure talent from Lacey then give a further boost to Vanoli, who extinguishes the guest’s enthusiasm ignited by the energy of Burnell and Cobbins and capitalizes again in attack with a triple from Pecchia and a nice penetration from Adrian (63- 54). Cournooh and above all Gabriel then try to put Brescia on their shoulders with their initiatives approaching the rim, before Davis from the line restores the three possessions between the teams (67-60 after 30′).
Della Valle, however, doesn’t agree and opens the last period by scoring a fundamental triple and giving Cournooh the comfortable support on the counterattack of -2, Lacey then shakes up Vanoli with the jumper of 69-65 and Pecchia serves Eboua, who at the rim he signs the three-point play that writes the new +7 Cremona and also a super block to Bilan. After Pecchia’s support to make it 74-65 less than 6′ from the end, Bilan and Eboua exchange shots from the line, Adrian pushes Vanoli ahead even with a double-digit margin, but an acceleration from Christon, a triple of the cynical Gabriel and the dunk of an excellent Cobbins do not put Germani back in close contact (78-74 with 3′ to go).
So Captain Pecchia takes care of letting his team breathe with a nice basket from the low post and Lacey from the line takes advantage of the errors, on the other side of the field, of Gabriel and Massinburg to write the new +8. A great play by Christon with 90 seconds to go tries to keep his team from raising the white flag but Lacey is glacial with the clock stopped and a step infringement by Della Valle seals Vanoli’s success. It ends 84-77.
THE SCORESHEET
Vanoli Basket Cremona-Germani Brescia 84-77 (22-21, 45-41, 67-60)
VANOLI CREMONA: Eboua 21, Adrian 7, Davis 4, Pecchia 16, Vecchiola, Lacey 13, Piccoli 3, Mccullough 14, Golden 6, Zanotti. All. Cavina
GERMANI BRESCIA: Christon 6, Gabriel 17, Bilan 12, Burnell 9, Massinburg 8, Tanfoglio, Della Valle 16, Petrucelli, Cobbins 4, Cournooh 5, Akele, Porto. All. Skinny
