Serie A basketball, matchday 16: Pesaro wins the advance, Verona ko

Pesaro without the injured Mazzola and Delfino, overtakes Verona at the end of a match with many faces and reversals. Anderson is immense but that’s not enough, Pesaro lands the knockout blow in the final with the freshness of his best men. The home team is looking for a big Italian and is also looking at exchanges between the other teams.

PESARO-VERONA 76-73

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The MotoGP world champion Bagnaia is at the Palas, honored by the Pesaro club with a red and white jersey with number 63. Verona, athletic and confident, confirms its form and terrible freshman. It’s 6-0 Pesaro in the 2nd minute, then Sanders finds the first basket for the guests. Anderson overtakes from 6.75 to 4 ‘(7-8) and – always from long range – pushes him on 9-15 of 6’. Kravic holds up his team’s attack, but Pesaro loses a lot of balls. At the end of the first period, the difference is made by the 3-point shot: no center for the clubs, 50% for the guests with the score in balance: 18-20. It was Tambone who broke the ice from the arc, with the three-point score of 21-20 in the 11th minute. It is played on the perimeter and the defenses are sometimes dancers, but then they grow and alternate, with songs from the area. In the 14th minute Bortolani and Gudmunsson with the game stopped collide with a gesture of nervousness, held back by their teammates: double unsportsmanlike. The race is rough and angular, chopped. In the 28th minute the score is still close, 35-33, Anderson is unstoppable, Sanders imitates him and the teams are not flawless from the line. Kravic crushes the counterattack 41-35 in the 19th minute, but at the half-time the match is all to be decided (41-39). At the start of the second half, Johnson overtook with a suspension in the 24th minute (44-45), the pace slowed down. The physicality of the Venetians cages Vuelle and it’s 47-51 in the 27th minute. Pesaro suffers from the arc and suffers in the third period, Verona revs up (49-54 in the 28th minute, 51-59 at the third siren). Johnson pushes away from him (51-61 in the 31st minute), Cappelletti pushes, Ramagli’s boys take the cue. Cheatham drives the fans crazy by signing the triple of 61-63 from nine meters in the 33rd minute which reopens the talks. Totè has the right attitude and earns his coach’s trust, in the 34th minute he’s 66-63 with Tambone still up by 3. The scorching attack from the Marches is worth a 15-4 break in the last quarter. A “monstrous” Anderson puts his side back in front: 66-71 in the 37th minute, Abdur-Rahkman replies for 69-71 in the 38th minute, Moretti hits again (71 all). Point-to-point final, Moretti also lands the triple plus 3 with 58” to go. Anderson makes 2/2 with free throws (74-73), Abdur-Rahkman 2/3 (76-73) 26” from the last siren. Johnson misses from 6.75 but the ball remains with Tezenis and there is a systematic foul on Anderson, who makes 0/2 and Cappelletti, on the third possession, misses the triple on the siren.
Pesaro: Cheatham 18, Moretti, Abdur-Rahkman, Kravic 10
Verona: Anderson 22, Sanders 12, Cappelletti 11.