Virtus Padova Basketball – Logimatic Group Ozzano 91-87 (17-18, 20-17, 31-6, 23-46)
Virtus Padova Basketball: Corrado Bianconi 23 (5/9, 3/7), Andrea Scanzi 22 (4/4, 2/7), Federico Schiavon 17 (0/0, 5/6), Giacomo Cecchinato 11 (4/5 , 0/9), Michele Antelli 9 (2/3, 1/3), Matteo Cagliani 5 (0/1, 1/3), Lorenzo Molinaro 2 (1/2, 0/2), Federico Osellieri 2 (1 /1, 0/0), Francesco Padovani 0 (0/0, 0/0), Isacco Marchet 0 (0/0, 0/0), Michele Ferrari 0 (0/0, 0/0), Marco Bedin 0 (0/0, 0/0)
Free throws: 21 / 26 – Rebounds: 40 8 + 32 (Corrado Bianconi 10) – Assists: 19 (Andrea Scanzi, Michele Antelli 5)
Logimatic Group Ozzano: Lionel Abega 19 (4/6, 2/8), Riccardo Cortese 14 (2/8, 3/6), Nicola Bastone 13 (2/6, 2/4), Alessandro Piazza 12 (2/5 , 2/7), Costantino Bechi 11 (2/4, 2/7), Giulio Martini 7 (3/3, 0/0), Carlo Balducci 6 (1/4, 0/1), Giacomo Filippini 5 (2 /4, 0/1), Joel Myers 0 (0/0, 0/0), Federico Terzi 0 (0/0, 0/0), Giulio Zambianchi 0 (0/0, 0/0), Alessandro Zanasi 0 (0/0, 0/0)
Free throws: 18 / 29 – Rebounds: 32 11 + 21 (Lionel Abega 8) – Assists: 11 (Lionel Abega 4)
PALABERTA, MONTEGROTTO TERME – A match similar to Game 1, with a final quarter of 46 points for the New Flying Ballsbut the result still says Virtus Padua Basketballvictorious 91-87 and now on 2-0 in the series valid for 1st round playout. Thursday May 9th at 8.30pmin Race-3 that will be played at Reggiani Graphic Arts Altarpiecea victory will absolutely be needed to avoid survival in the National Serie B against Civitus Allianz Vicenza, beaten 3-0 by the Bisceglie Lions in the other semi-final.
Coach Conti opts for a starting five composed of Bechi in low notch, with Abega, Cortese, Bastone And Filipinos.
Little by little, Ozzano built a substantial advantage over Padova, effective only with Bianconi – in the first 3′ – from long range; Cecchinato tries, but isn’t as sharp as 48 hours earlier (0/5), while on the other side Abega is the spokesperson for the guest’s attack. Coach Conti’s boys understand the importance of attacking the basket inside the area – the 10-5 after 5′ bears the signature of 4/5 from two – leaving space from outside to the Venetians, who are in difficulty given the ‘Eloquent 1/10. The three-point play by the unblocked Cecchinato is worth 14-14, Bechi and Schiavon respond from 6.75 meters but, who has the last word of the quarter, is one of the guys most on the ball, Abega.
The second quarter is characterized by very high intensity: Cagliani, Cortese and Scanzi tear up the retinas, with Ozzano with a one possession lead (27-24); Bechi, on the other hand, recalls the ten protagonists in the minute, scoring the team’s 3/6 from three. Martini’s contribution to the rebound count should be underlined, as in 6′ he brings five to Ozzano’s cause and is the author of the temporary +6 (32-26). The visitors’ plans become complicated when they reach the fifth foul, not even halfway through the quarter, and subsequent new attack by Osellieri (32-32) in the middle of the 11-0 run closed by Filippini. A moment of blackout that forces Ozzano to retreat, but only by two points at the end of the first half.
The return to the field is by Antelli, then Bianconi scores the +10 Padova (45-35), leaving the scene to Abega in the 3rd minute who tries to shake up his team with a three-point play, being knocked down by Bianconi (top scorer of that moment with 14 pieces), with three fouls like Molinaro and Cecchinato. Ozzano doesn’t take advantage of it, the locals – while continuing to keep a low average from three (1/4, the NFB instead 1/5) – are more incisive at free throws and more aggressive in terms of rebounds. The gap becomes heavy, Martini breaks his fast on the basket after 5′, when Virtus leads 60-40: in the end, there are only six points for the red and whites.
Bianconi, on the other hand, reaches 23. Ozzano puts in a completely different determination when it seems too late: the difference is still around fifteen points (77-62 in the middle of the quarter), then a decisive acceleration to spice up the match brings the red and whites at-8 (77-69). Partial score of 7-0 framed by Cortese’s triple, with the match starting to play with nerves, 3′ from the siren. Bastone scores the first triple of -7, Schiavon drives PalaBerta crazy, Piazza silences him: but it is the guest number 21, with continuous suffocating pressing, who keeps his teammates alive. It’s the triple festival, Abega contributes with a shot from the corner with a very low percentage of success: when coach de Nicolao calls timeout, Padova is only 4 points ahead (84-80) with less than 60″ to go. Scanzi and Cecchinato saluted for reaching five fouls, but Padova found the “bonus” on the counterattack with Antelli after a melee under their own basket. The 46 points in the fourth quarter were not enough for Ozzano.
LOGIMATIC OZZANO PRESS OFFICE
