Bakken also up 10 points, then the US center dispenses spells. Thrilling ending: Soko and Weezy of ice. Now the Minsk
/ TREVISO
Gentlemen, hats off: since last night Treviso Basket is a real team also at European level. Having beaten the Danish Bears after suffering the pains of hell means having passed a true baptism of fire. And tomorrow night there will be the last bastion to enter the Champions League is called Minsk.
Crazy, terrible match, already in annals, ended only at the siren: first half of immense suffering, recovery dominated by a team of warriors but questioned in the final by an indomitable opponent, rich in experience. Great company. Both teams immediately accepted the high pace, Sims dictates the law for better or for worse (three baskets and two errors) in a race where the Danes, great lovers of one on one, do damage with Evans (10 points in 6 minutes ). Then comes an absurd unsportsmanlike to Dimsa which, however, yields just one point, but the race remains difficult, angular, rough, in short, a real night of the European Cup.
The percentages gradually drop and the nervousness rises. In the first quarter, TvB whistles seven fouls, the Bears, who always put their hands on him in defense, three. Obviously it is not all the fault of the referees, in the hullabaloo we lack a bit of craft and clarity, Sims and Jones shoot from three and so the Bakken, evidently much more used to certain atmospheres of tension, in the end of the first quarter earns the + 5. It is truly a fight without quarter, every possession is a battle because both press high: Akele steals the ball and goes to crush for another advantage of the blue-orange (26-25 at 13 ‘): immediate 6-0 of the whites Bartley designer (14 at half time) and everything to be redone, even if Bortolami’s 2 + 1 thinks about fixing the 31-31. But every time the Danes seem to be in trouble, they are back in command, also because their second and third shots are a bit too many (27-15 rebounds in the middle of the race). And so an already worrying 35-45 can only arrive.
Usually, however, the long break is good for those in crisis, Treviso tries, places a 12-2 with two Dimsa bombs in transition and then our front is back: 50-49, it’s 23 ‘. Sims now takes all the carom, his other 2-1, then Russell and Jones for +8 of 27 ‘, the break is one of those that hurt, 21-4. But the Danes, of course, are not dead, too experienced not to react: here is the punctual 6-0, +2. Bortolani is fabulous, he throws the bomb and suffers a foul: Casarin fixes the 65-57 but then makes the third foul by breaking through: even if a +9 arrives there is still to suffer, at TvB they whistle a foul at every Danish attack, not so much the mallet on the other side (go and look at the total of free throws, 20 only in the last quarter …): this is the duty to pay for freshmen. In any case, our players resist fearlessly, defend well, the Bears suffer: we enter the 35 ‘at 77-69. And here comes the third bomb of “Jordan” Bortolani: +11, the Palaverde comes down.
Press zone of the Bears, their last desperate move: nothing, yet another 2 + 1 by Sims: 83-72. At 38 ‘Nutribullet on + 10 has one foot in the final but it is 4-0 Bears at -100 ”from the siren, so who thinks to put it from outside? Always him, Henry Sims. Last minute: +5 and the ball to the whites, Soko steals it from Jackson, Russell makes 0/2, Jackson puts in the triple of -2, there are 9 ”, they commit a foul on Soko and he puts in 2. Like Bartley. Treviso throw-in, it’s up to Russell to go to the line at -6 ”, also 2/2 and this time, even if Bartley scores another 3 (and Bortolani puts in a free time) it’s really done. Europe, the real one, is one step away. And maybe it is hoped that finally the spectators will be able to break through the blessed quota of 1000. –