Extra time is needed at PalaCarnera to decide the fourth match of the series between Apu Old Wild West Udine and Acqua San Bernardo Cantù. In the end, the Brianza team wins, closing the series at 3-1 and flying to the final where they will find Pallacanestro Trieste, fresh from a 3-0 win against Forlì. Towards the end of the 40′ Udine seems to have the momentum of the match, but with Baldi Rossi’s triples Pallacanestro Cantù recovers and puts its head forward. It’s Alibegovic who scores at the end of the overtime basket. In the following five minutes Cantù prevails.
• APU OLD WILD WEST UDINE – ACQUA S.BERNARDO CANTÙ 89-92 (22-20, 35-45, 56-60, 78-78)
APU OLD WILD WEST UDINE: Alibegovic 17, Cannon 11, Caroti 17, Arletti 5, Gaspardo 6, Delia NE, De Laurentiis 2, Da Ros 10, Marchiaro NE, Monaldi 16, Ikangi 5. Coach Adriano Vertemati
ACQUA S.BERNARDO CANTÙ: Baldi Rossi 11, Berdini, Nikolic 13, Nwohucha NE, Tarallo NE, Bucarelli 9, Hickey 26, Burns 7, Moraschini 17, Young 9, Cesana. Coach Devis Cagnardi
The match. Less than 20″ from ball two and it is Young who scores the first 2 points for Cantù. In the second minute Hickey flies to the basket to double the score (0-4). Another basket from underneath for the American from Cantù, with Udine managing to stop the opponent’s partial thanks to baskets from Cannon and Ikangi (4-6). Hickey is cynical from inside the area, but a three-point play made by Cannon brings the Friulians back into contact (7-8). Bucarelli burns the retina from beyond the arc. The Juventus number 6 responds once again from under the boards, but thanks to Young’s triple in the sixth minute, Cantù takes the margin (9-14). The inertia still lies with the Lombards who in less than a minute continue to score, forcing coach Vertemati to call the first time-out of the match (11-18). The wind blows again in favor of Udine, the baskets of Arletti and Ikangi close the gap to the visiting team (16-20). At the end of the first quarter, coach Vertemati’s team continues to score points, finally coming back into contact with Cantù (20-22). At the dawn of the second half of the game, Da Ros’ basket re-establishes the tie between the two contenders. Moraschini responds from under the boards, but Alibegovic’s triple gives Udine the lead for the first time (25-24). The Juventus number 5 scores again from over 6.75m, but baskets from Burns and Hickey allow the guests to put their heads back in front (28-32). In the following minutes Hickey, Gaspardo and Caroti scored (33-36). At the stroke of the last minute of the game Cantù regained their courage and margin (35-42), a subsequent technical whistle on the Udine bench allowed the Lombards to conclude the half of the game with a score of 35-45.
Mirza Alibegovic is the first to pierce the net in the second half, Nikolic responds, but on the opposite front Cannon and Monaldi bring the Friulians back to -5 (42-47). Moraschini goes on his own and with two baskets cancels out the previous Juventus efforts (42-52). It’s up to Gaspardo, who burns the retina from beyond the area, to reinvigorate the home team. De Laurentiis scores a basket for a new -5 and forces Coach Cagnardi to call a minute’s suspension (47-52). Burns and Hickey try to calm the waters, but Lorenzo Caroti is “on fire” and burns Carnera’s retina with two sidereal triples from over 8 meters (53-56). More back and forth between the two teams, to Moraschini’s baskets and Hickey responds from Da Ros with a triple at the end. The last 10′ will begin with the score 56-60. A triple from Captain Diego Monaldi ignites the entire Pala Carnera and brings Udine back into contact with their opponents (59-60). Bucarelli is fouled and takes both shots at his disposal from the charity line. In minute number 4, Monaldi’s three-pointer finds the back of the net again twice in a row, Udine is ahead (65-62). Caroti and Bucarelli scored in the following actions with the Friulians exhausting the bonus regime (67-64). Cantù dangerously closes to -1, but once again Captain Monaldi makes a three, suffers a foul and subsequently scores the 4-point game (71-66). Bucarelli, 3′ from the end, makes 2/2 from the line, but this time Da Ros responds from beyond the arc, forcing Cantù to time out (74-68). The eighth minute strikes and Baldi Rossi regains parity with two consecutive triples (74-74). Hickey penetrates and Baldi Rossi’s free throws give Cantù the new lead less than a minute from the end (74-78). Da Ros is fouled and scores 2/2 with 37″ to go. At the end, Alibegovic recovers an offensive rebound and with some magic takes the match to over time (78-78).
Caroti, Nikolic, Hickey and Alibegovic inaugurate the first overtime period from 6.75m (84-84). Baldi Rossi’s tap-in, after free throws by Caroti and Hickey, gives the guests the lead with just over a minute to go (85-87). Moraschini scores both shots from the charity line with 17″ left to go. In the next 5 seconds, Caroti finds the bottom of the retina penetrating (87-89). Udine fouls again, Bucarelli only scores one. It’s a war of free throws and systematic fouls to keep the clock from ticking, Alibegovic brings the Friulians back to -1. Moraschini scores 2/2, then a lost ball condemns Udine to defeat. Game 4 ends with a score of 89-92.
