Game 2 of the women’s Serie A2 playoffs is underway with eight matches scheduled for Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd May.
Logiman Broni – Halley Thunder Matelica
The match between Logiman Broni and Halley Thunder Matelica will open the draw for Game 2 of the Serie A2 playoff quarter-finals (Wednesday, 6pm, live LBF TV). Broni will try to defend his court, but to do so he will need greater clarity in the decisive minutes of the match: Game 1 was in fact in balance for the first three quarters, but then the Lombard team fell in the final period, conceding a run of 27-11. Matelica dominated rebounding (45-33) and short-circuited one of Broni’s strengths, namely the three-point shot, forcing the green-and-whites to shoot only 29% from beyond the arc, while Matelica found an excellent 44%. The big players of the Marche team dominated the area, in fact the points inside the paint were 30 against the 20 of the opponents, demonstrating how Matelica’s physicality was a factor in the match. The contribution of the bench was also fundamental, with Broni scoring only six points, while Matelica 16, thanks to the contribution of four different players. Broni will have to try to contain Benedetta Gramaccioni, author of 19 points with a perfect 3/3 from beyond the arc and the true protagonist of the opening match between the two teams. Broni achieved the main successes of his season within his walls, but Matelica is on a three-match winning streak away from home.
Basketball La Spezia – APU Delser Crich Udine
The match between Cestistica Spezzina and APU Delser Crich Udine is also scheduled for 8pm (Wednesday, 8pm, live LBF TV). The Friulian team wants to try to close the series as early as Game 2 and the objective seems within reach, also considering the fact that Udine has only lost twice away from home this season. The leaders of Group B dominated Game 1 from start to finish and this dominance is also reflected in the statistics, given that Udine did better in every item. The decisive data are those of rebounds (43-32), but also that of assists: Udine’s attack turned wonderfully, with Chiara Bacchini who provided 7 of the team’s 25 assists. Udine shot 46% from three, but also dominated in the area (34-22) and also managed to assert itself in its own half of the field: La Spezia was forced into 23 turnovers, with Udine also recovering 13 , against only four steals from their opponents. Milani was the top scorer of the match with 23 points, but Udine’s real ace in the hole was again Gregori, who scored 19 coming off the bench: the Friulian team has what it takes to get to the end and to try to extend their season La Spezia will have to accomplish a feat, trying to jam an almost perfect mechanism such as Udine’s attack.
USE Rosa Scotti Empoli – Ecodem Alpo
Race 2 of the series between USE Rosa Scotti Empoli and Ecodem Alpo will also be staged at 8.30pm (Wednesday, 8.30pm, live LBF TV). In the first leg there was almost no match, except for Empoli’s comeback attempt in the third period and Alpo’s domination was the result above all of the excellent performances of the Frustaci-Turel duo: 23 points each, with the former she also had a double-double with 10 rebounds. Alpo sent five players in double figures and put up a formidable performance in attack, almost reaching 90 points and finding an evening of grace from beyond the arc (59% with 13/22, four triples for Turel, five for Frustaci) . Empoli tried to respond by sending five players in double figures, but lost 18 balls, which earned the Venetians 23 points. Empoli can try to defend their court, also because they have a fairly long team, capable of providing solutions even from the bench (30 points in Game 1). At home, then, the Tuscan team lost only on four occasions and was also able to achieve results against the big teams in Group A. On the other hand, however, comes an Alpo team that has been able to do well on the road during the season, making the match of this evening even more interesting.
Techfind San Salvatore Selargius – ARAN Cucine Panthers Roseto
The table for Match 2 in the lower part of the scoreboard will be closed on Thursday evening, with the 8.30pm match between Techfind San Salvatore Selargius and ARAN Cucine Panthers Roseto (Thursday, 6pm, live LBF TV). In Race 1 Roseto emerged victorious, always managing to keep her opponents at a distance and winning all four partials. The quintet of the Abruzzo team scored double figures, with Obouh Fegue dominating with 21 points. However, Selargius was good at containing the number 7 in rebounds, in fact Obouh Fegue collected “only” 9 and in general, in attacking rebounds, Selargius was even better than Roseto (7-4). The problem for the Sardinian team was the two-point shot, in fact Roseto scored 61%, while Selargius only scored 40%, but was unable to compensate with baskets from beyond the arc (31%). . El Habbab was the top scorer of the match with 23 points and Selargius, to try to extend his season, will have to start again from her and from the captain Silvia Ceccarelli, who in Game 1 was well contained by her opponents and held to just 10 points with 3/14 shooting. Selargius lost only on five occasions at home in the regular season and on the other side comes a team that has lost four of the last five away, with a negative trend since injuries have weighed heavily on the team.
Posaclima Ponzano – Polisportiva Galli San Giovanni Valdarno
The match between Posaclima Ponzano and Polisportiva Galli San Giovanni Valdarno will open the top part of the scoreboard (Wednesday, 7pm, live LBF TV). In the opening match the Tuscan team prevailed without ever allowing their opponents to put their heads in front and the Nasraoui-Rossini duo was formidable: 20 points for the former, 25 points and a season high for the latter. As usual, San Giovanni dominated two-point shooting, shooting 58%, but this time they also had a great night from beyond the arc, shooting 41%. To try to extend its season, Ponzano will have to try to regain good ball circulation: in fact, only five assists were recorded in Game 1 and no points were scored on the counterattack. Claudia Gobbo’s 20 points were not enough for the neroverdi, who will now have the chance to play Game 2 at home. Ponzano is one of the best A2 teams within its own walls, in fact it has only lost on three occasions and always against teams higher up in the standings. The Venetian team will also have to try to rediscover its defensive solidity, since it is difficult for the Venetian team to think of bringing home a match where the Tuscan attack manages to score a lot, as in fact happened in Game 1.
Futurosa iVision Trieste – CLV-Limonta Costa Masnaga
On May 2nd, the ball will be opened by Futurosa iVision Trieste and CLV-Limonta Costa Masnaga (Thursday, 6pm, live LBF TV). In Game 2 Trieste will have to accomplish a real feat to try to extend their season, given that in the first leg they were dominated by the Lombard team for three quarters out of four. Costa Masnaga’s strength was on the bench: 54 points scored by the red and white reserves, with Nguessan top scorer with 17 points in 20 minutes. Trieste instead found only 8 points from its bench and in fact the distance between the two teams emerged after the first quarter, when the reserves of the respective teams found themselves on the field. Trieste was unable to jam the gears of Costa, who recorded 24 assists, and was unable to limit turnovers, reaching 23. Costa Masnaga was in fact very good in defence, putting Trieste in difficulty in one of its strengths and although the Friulian team scored 56% from two points, it was the presence of the Lombard team that made the difference in the area. Costa in fact tripled Trieste in attacking rebounds (15-5) and this gave the red and whites 21 points from second chances against the 6 of their opponents. Miccoli’s 26 points weren’t enough in Trieste: Costa hasn’t lost away from home since January 6th, while Trieste has lost the last two at home, so the Friulian team is called to the task in this Game 2.
Alperia Basket Club Bolzano – Autosped BCC Derthona
The match between Alperia Basket Club Bolzano and Autosped BCC Derthona is scheduled for 7pm (Thursday, 7pm, live LBF TV). Game 1 respected the prediction because Derthona came out the winner, but the match was much more competitive than one might have thought: the Piedmontese team found their season low with only 49 points scored and the match was decided only in the seconds finals, with only two points separating the teams at the end of the forty minutes. Derthona seemed to have the match in hand with +8 one minute from the end, but suffered a 0-6 run in just under sixty seconds which almost reopened the game when everything seemed to be decided. Despite the bad percentages, the leaders of Group A managed to defend their court thanks to a more solid performance in assists (17-9) and points in the area (24-18). Missanelli tried to score the coup with 18 points, but they weren’t enough and now in Game 2 it won’t be easy for Bolzano to repeat the same match as Game 1. The thirty-year-olds will have to try to keep their defensive intensity high and will have to try to take advantage the support of their fans, even if on the other side comes a team that, in regular season away matches, has only been defeated once.
Martina Treviso – San Giorgio MantovAgriculture
The only series of the first round of the Serie A2 playoffs in which the field factor was missed is the one between San Giorgio MantovAgricoltura and Martina Treviso, which is why the Venetian team will have the match point at home tomorrow evening to access the semi-finals ( Thursday, 7.30 pm, live LBF TV). In Game 1, in a match with a high defensive rate, Treviso managed to bring home the victory thanks to greater composure in the decisive moments, thanks to a 15-point Chelsea D’Angelo and thanks to the double double of 14 points and 14 rebounds by Ashley Egwoh. The Venetian team dominated in rebounding (43-30) and above all in attacking rebounding (12-5) and this guaranteed them the victory despite the low percentages. Treviso’s defense held Mantua’s attack to just 3 assists and recovered 10 balls from their opponents’ hands. The real merit of the Venetian team, however, was keeping Marida Orazzo to just four points scored with 2/10 shooting: to try to turn the situation around Mantua must find its top scorer again in Game 2. However, the games are far from over , also because Mantua is a team that has often given its best on the road this season: 11 successes were achieved away from friendly walls, a figure higher than the 7 achieved at home.
(Photo Marco Donati)
