Bologna –
Segafredo’s road in this second half of the season goes on with full sails: after having defeated San Martino di Lupari in the midweek game, they can still boast the unbeaten streak in this second part of the season. Many matches have been played, but attention and concentration have always remained high, in order to grab a second place, even if temporary, that gives morale. With the fourth place in the standings, albeit with a few more matches to play, Le Mura Lucca, Virtus’ next opponent, is a bit of a surprise in the upper parts of the table this season. It was known that coach Andreoli’s roster could create some headaches, but to find itself in the areas occupied at the moment, was difficult to predict, having finished last season in tenth place.
The entrance among the first four, undermining Ragusa, is the result of a revolution in the staff that has contributed to the arrival of Dietrick and Wise, both American and both well above the double digit average: 15.4 for the ex-Atlanta playmaker and 15.2 for the external player from the Capital. In addition to their great offensive ability, both have an excellent assist average, combining 11.4 assists per game, placing Lucca in third place with a 17.2 per game coefficient. Another element of the roster to be highlighted in red is Kaczmarckyk, a long Polish player (10.8 points per game with an average of 8.8 rebounds) who, in her first season in Italy, has been able to shoot with a remarkable 50.9% in 30.4 minutes on the floor. Among the Italians, Miccoli, who already has two years behind her in Lucca, and the very young Natali, who arrived in Tuscany this year from Venice, are well represented and make up the Italian backbone. Coach Andreoli has therefore been able to manage very well a team that has been revolutionized by the market, whose offensive potential, traveling at an average of 72 points per game, certainly exceeds the defensive ones as evidenced by the 68.3 points allowed per game, with only the eighth best defense in the league.
