San Martino di Lupari, 8 gennaio –
Fila San Martino di Lupari vs Virtus Segafredo Bologna: 57 – 80
(1q 18 – 11; 2q 37 – 38; 3q 45 – 63)
Fila San Martino di Lupari: Washington 13, Guarise, Verona 3, Milazzo 9, Ianezic 2, Pastrello, Frigo, Russo 2, Kaczmarczyk 18, Arado 2, Diakhoumpa, Dedic 8
All: Serventi
Virtus Segafredo Bologna: Del Pero 9, Pasa 4, Rupert, Barberis 3, Dojkic 11, Andrè 15, Zandalasini 6, Orsili 2, Parker 20, Laksa 5, Cinili 5
All: Ticchi
Fifteenth day of the maximum women’s basketball championship for Virtus Segafredo, which is the guest of Fila San Martino di Lupari, which in the last round came very close to winning the scalp of Famila Schio.
After the two-ball that falls in the hands of Virtus, San Martino immediately pushes on the accelerator with Washington (5 points for her) and Dedic signing a 7-0 partial against which the black Vs equalize without finding the way to the basket except after 4′ minutes with Parker. St. Martin’s in the second half of the quarter struggles to find clean shots and Virtus slowly manages to nibble points albeit slowly with low shooting percentages. Andrè’s 5 points, the most prolific among the Virtus girls, bring Segafredo back down by 7 at the score of 18-11 as the first quarter draws to a close. In the second half, it’s still the home team to start off on the right foot with two consecutive triples by Milazzo first and Verona later, putting the Lupe ahead 24-11: timid reaction with Dojkic’s two free throws and Andrè’s basket for Segafredo. Laksa’s basket for 26-17 gives a lash to the game: the next action Virtus recovers the ball and Dojkic leans on the glass, also getting fouled and bringing her teammates back to -7. A greater defensive presence in rebounding often turns into quick reversals, as on Cinili’s triple for -4: a progressive recovery that finds its culmination with Laksa’s triple and the 0-12 HCL partial. Kaczmarczyk’s triple rouses Lupari from its slumber, but Segafredo is now back in the game, even putting itself in the lead at the score of 31-34. The match now turns into an extremely close game, with the two teams battling point-to-point without skimping on physical contact, so much so that the teams have the bonus with still several minutes on the game clock. Segafredo came to overtake at the end of the first half, with the score 37-38.
After the suspension for halftime, the game resumes, but with different protagonists: in fact, Parker immediately signs a personal partial of 2-7 with which Virtus tries the first break of the game, stretching to 39-47, then partially absorbed by Dedic’s 4-0. A few too many mistakes by Fila and excellent HCL defenses grant Segafredo some extra possessions useful to keep the lead of the game and even grab the double-digit lead on 43-56, the maximum gap between the two teams so far. The bianconere close the quarter ahead, on the score of 45-63, led by Parker, author of as many as 14 points in the third quarter alone. Thus began the last quarter for Segafredo, which found itself in a position to close out the match against a never tame Lupari. Immediately a basket by Zandalasini, to answer Ianezic’s failed attempt, and then Andrè, who imposes herself on both halves of the court with stoppages, defensive closures and rebounds. Del Pero’s triple for 51-70 with 4′ minutes to go seemed to put the game on ice but the home team proved to be in the thick of the game and showed no signs of letting up. However, Virtus continues to play, imposing its own rhythm to the game, with Del Pero always very active from beyond the arc, until closing the game with a score of 57-80.
