Extract Pistoiafresh from the success in Trento which earned it the arithmetic qualification for the LBA Playoff UnipolSai 2024, hosts theOpenjobmetis Varese, which comes from the home defeat against Treviso which allowed them, however, to achieve salvation. The two teams have already faced each other at the start of the season, in the postponed matchday 1 on Wednesday 4 October 2023, when Openjobmetis won 83-82 with 16 points (and the decisive free throw) by Moretti. Where to see it: Sunday 5 May 2024 at 6.15pm, DAZN. Referees: Saverio Lanzarini, Gabriele Bettini, Marco Catani.
Pistoia vs Varese, live
1Q – Triple by Mannion and 1/2 by Brown on the line for Varese 0-4 after 1′. Varnado shortens in the 2nd minute, Mannion extends but Ogbeide scores 4-6 in the 3rd minute. Five points from McDermott put Varese on +7. Wheatle scores two free throws, but Openjobmetis scores a 0-4 which is immediately stopped by Willis’ bomb with 4’56”. Ogbeide with a free throw and Moore bring Pistoia to -3. Varnado supports the 14-16 after Besson’s free throw, but the 0-8 with triples from Moretti and Brown hurt Brienza 14-24 with 2 minutes in which Varnado crushed it 16-24. Then triple from Hawkins and dunk from Okeke 19-26 in the 10th minute.
2Q – 5-0 by Del Chiaro and Hawkins from three, due to Bialaszewski’s timeout in the 11th minute. Mannion and Varnado keep up the fight, but Varese scores another 0-11 with Woldetensae and Moretti in the 13th minute, followed by a 3+1 from Mannion and McDermott’s freer basket, closed with 6’05” by Moore 28-39. Triple by Moore and Moretti for 34-42 in the 15th minute. The inertia is on the side of the Lombards, Brown and the technical Saccaggi transformed by Moretti are worth the +11 Additional free throws put Varese further away 36-51 with 2’22”. The 4-0 of Willis and Wheatle is nullified by Mannion’s three-point play. Wheatle can only fix the 42-54 of the interval.
3Q – Basket by Willis in the 21st minute. 2/2 by Moretti on the line in the 22nd minute. Varnado scores in the 23rd minute but Pistoia does not express continuity in attack. 0-5 with Spencer’s dunk and McDermott’s triple 46-61. Ogbeide shortens Moretti with 4’56” and scores a triple to make it 48-64. McDermott and Wheatle score, but Varese looks like a caterpillar and writes +23 with Brown, Mannion and Spencer from offensive rebounds with 2’13”. Varnado shortens but the guests have no difficulty closing the third quarter at 57-77.
4Q –
__
– Previous. There are 14 precedents between the clubs, which have only faced each other in the regular season and with Varese ahead 8-6. Pistoia lost at home against the Lombards only on one occasion, on 3 May 2015 (87-103). This is the only precedent between the two coaches Nicola Brienza and Tom Bialaszewski.
– Those who are absent. In the Openjobmetis Varese Matteo Librizzi is out due to a recurrence of the dislocation of his left shoulder.
– The exes of the race. In Openjobmetis Varese Davide Moretti played in the Pistoia youth team in the 2014/15 season, the club with which he made his Serie A debut.
