A1 – Venice clearly beats Rome and takes first place

Partial scores: 25-12; 48-27; 68-45

Umana Reyer: Logoh, Berkani 4, Gorini, Villa 15, Nicolodi, Pan 3, Meldere 2, Held 10, Fassina 9, Kuier 11, Shepard 25 All. Mazzon

Oxygen Roma Basket: Romeo 5, Dongue 14, Cupido, Natali 3, Bongiorno, Scarsi, Czukor 2, Sventoraite 8, Gilli 4, Kalu 19 All. Di Meglio

Umana Reyer wins the victory at Taliercio by beating Oxygen Roma Basket 79-55. Important result for the Orogranata team who finished the regular season in first place in the standings, ensuring field factor in the playoffs and qualification for the next Euroleague. The opponent in the first round of the playoffs will be the team from the capital: meet for game 1 at Taliercio, Wednesday 24 April at 7.30 pm.

For the orogranata, Makurat (foreign rotation) and Cubaj (who has just undergone an operation following a fracture of the fifth metacarpal of his left hand) remain in the pits.

Coach Mazzon’s starting five is made up of Villa, Held, Fassina, Kuier and Shepard. Sventoraite and Kalu open the match, but the Villa-Shepard duo responds from the Umana side (4-4). Then it was Fassina and the long American who gave Orogranata the first lead. Roma doesn’t agree and, thanks to some defensive recoveries, puts their head ahead in the match (9-10). The advantage, however, is temporary because Fassina scores five points, starting the run of 16-2 which closes the first half at 25-12 with a triple from captain Pan just before the siren.

In the second period the Shepard-Nicolodi axis is a puzzle for the Capitoline defense, which however tries to stay in the wake of Gilli and Natali. The orogranatas raise the defensive intensity, Shepard is unstoppable under the boards and Umana continues to hit even from the arc, dictating the pace of the game and widening the advantage. The score reads 48-27 at 20′.

Upon returning from the locker room, Held scores his eighth personal point. Oxygen finds precious points from its Dongue and Sventoraite towers, forcing coach Mazzon to time out. The return to the field is positive, the plays of Kuier and Shepard lead Reyer. The guests manage to find offensive continuity, but the gap remains wide, 68-45 at the end of the third quarter.

Meldere and Logoh also find space in the last fraction. Coach Mazzon’s team remains in control of the match with the pace inevitably lowering as well as the shooting percentages on both sides. Umana Reyer wins 79-55.

REYER.IT