It could have been a party, it was a massacre. Too tired, too short, too imprecise the Eagle that comes overwhelmed at home from Pistoia by 80-105 at the PalaTrento and leaves the 4 thousand Juventus fans with only a bitter taste for a collapse unexpected ending. The Tuscans show more hunger than a Dolomiti Energia team that spends the match chasing but objectively doesn’t have the numbers to succeed given that the rotations are very short (nine men available), the defense is a sieve and the offense never triggers the three-point shot. Trento is still sure of a place in the playoffs, they will just have to try to avoid entering eighth so as not to be paired with the first in the rankings but these are small details.
Pistoia flies away
The match opens with the Eagle inspired by Biligha and Baldwin to quickly reach an encouraging 11-5 which however is promptly overturned by Pistoia that goes up the slope and speeds away until 11-17 with a sensational 12-0 break. It’s up to Hubb with a triple stop the Juventus offensive hemorrhage but at the first break we arrive with the guests in front at 20-24. Trento has little aim to shoot from distance and is lazy in defense so they are literally blown away by the Tuscans in the second quarter. The last glimmer of life is the bomb of Alviti of 29-33 then the opponents escape until 33-48. Biligha he makes a couple of positive actions which are not enough to change the inertia of the match and so at half-time the scoreboard reads 42-55.
The illusion of reopening the challenge
When he returns to the field he tries Forray with a triple but the Eagle never manages to break through the -11 threshold for half of the game, paying dearly for every single defensive distraction. Touch then Biligha take the lead and lead his teammates to 65-71 which seems to reopen the match: just an impression as Pistoia scores another break and reaches the final break still in control at 68-76. Fate seems sealed given that for every two-pointer scored by the Bianconeri, a triple comes from the Tuscans who permanently maintain their lead. double digit ahead at the dawn of the fourth period. At 78-87 it seems that Trento can get back up but instead they sink sensationally until the humiliating final 80-105.
Reinforcements arriving
It is not this defeat that erases exciting weeks in which L’Aquila raised its head after a dark period but it is still a alarm bell for the company that must provide a help numerical to the team. For the present and for the future. The name is already in the house and is that of the American Daulton Hommesa winger returning from a long injury who has been training with the Trentino team for a few days and who should be signed up in the next few hours.
Dolomiti Energia Trentino-Estra Pistoia 78-105
Partial: 20-24; 42-55; 68-76
TRENT: Ellis 3, Hubb 14, Alviti 14, Conti, Forray 3, Cooke 1, Diarra ne, Biligha 19, Mooney 10, Baldwin 10. All: Galbiati
PISTOIA: Willis 19, Della Rosa 6, Moore 21, Metsla 2, Saccaggi 3, Del Chiaro 2, Varnado 15, Wheatle 6, Hawkins 7, Ogbeide 14. All: Brienza
Referees: Sahin, Galasso, Martiali
Shots from the field: Tr 32/74 (6/27 from three), Pi 39/63 (13/20 from three)
Free throws: Tr 10/16, Pi 14/19
Rebounds: Tr 32, Pi 39
Assist: Tr 17, Pi 24
