May 24, 2012
Italian League Quarterfinals, Game 3: May 22, 2007
Benjamin Eze Montepaschi Montepaschi Siena and Lottomatica roma became the first teams to avdance to the Italian League semifinals by sweeping their respective best-of-five quarterfinal series against Tisettanta Cantu and Eldo Napoli. Montepaschi thrashed Cantu 91-60 in Game 3 in Siena on Tuesday. Rimantas Kaukenas and Lonny Baxter paced the winners each with 15 points while Ben Eze posted a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds for Montepaschi. Meanwhile, Lottomatica downed Eldo 83-58 in Game 3 behind 15 points from Dejan Bodiroga. Whirlpool Varese stayed alive in the competition by downing Armani Jeans 62-71 in Milano in Game 3 on Tuesday. Delonte Holland paced the winners with 22 points and 12 rebounds and even when Milano leads the series 2-1, Varese hosts Game 4. Finally, Guilherme Giovannoni had 20 points to lead VidiVici Bologna to a 104-102 overtime home win against Angelico Biella. Virtus leads 2-1 but Biella hosts Game 4 this weekend.

Montepaschi advanced to the semifinals by thrashing Tisettanta Cantu 91-60 in Game 3 in Siena on Tuesday. Kaukenas and Baxter paced the winners each with 15 points. Eze posted a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds, Joseph Forte had 11 points, Romain Sato 10 while Terrell McIntyre dished 11 assists for Montepaschi. Eze, Forte and McIntyre led a 17-0 run that broke the game open, 28-9, after 10 minutes. Baxter, Kaukenas and an outstanding McIntyre allowed Montepaschi to boost its margin to 50-28 at halftime. Kaukenas and Eze allowed the hosts to make it a 34-point game, 69-35, and seal the outcome. Lottomatica Roma also sealed its ticket to the semifinals by thrashing Eldo Napoli 83-58 in Game 3 to sweep the best-of-five quarterfinal series. Bodiroga paced the winners with 15 points. Jon Stefansson and Jiacopo Giachetti each added 12 while David Hawkins had 11 for Roma. Mason Rocca had 16 points for Eldo while Ansu Sesay added 13. Hawkins and Bodiroga fueled a 13-1 opening run that helped Roma to keep a 19-8 margin at the end of the first quarter. Stefansson and Righetti combined for 17 in the second quarter, as Roma boosted its margin to 37-21 at halftime. An outstanding Hawkins allowed Roma to seal the outcome, 59-38, after 30 minutes, as Eldo never recovered.

VidiVici Bologna had to battle had 45 minutes to edge Angelico Biella 104-102 at home and get a 2-1 lead in the series. Giovannoni led the winners with 20 points. Dusan Vukcevic added 18, Andrea Michelori had 12 while Vlado Ilievski and Brett Blizzard each fot 10 for Virtus. Erik Daniels had 24 points for Biella while Reece Gaines added 23. Just like in Game 1, Biella had a strong start, as Jamel Thomas and Daniels allowed the guests to get a 24-25 egde after 10 minutes. A 0-9 run that Daniels capped with a layup gave Biella a 24-34 lead early in the second quarter. Daniels kept pacing Biella, that reached halftime with a 41-53 margin. VidiVici recovered in the third quarter but a 0-10 run allowed Biella to stay ahead, 59-66, after 30 minutes. Giovannoni and Vukcevic helped Virtus to regain the lead, 76-75, and the game went down to the wire. A three-pointer by Pascal Roller made VidiVici call timeout at 87-89, but Vukcevic forced overtime with free throws, 89-89. A 6-0 opening run allowed VidiVici to get the lead for good in the extra period, as Biella's comeback came already in the final seconds. Whirlpool Varese registered its first win in its quarterfinal series by downing Armani Jeans 62-71 in Milano in Game 3 on Tuesday. Holland paced the winners with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Aleksandar Capin added 12 while Jack Galanda had 10 for Varese. Massino Bulleri had 19 points for Milano while Danilo Gallinari added 14. Bulleri and Gallinari allowed Milano to get a 18-13 lead after 10 minutes. A three-pointer by Sandro De Pol helped Varese to get back ahead, 20-21, while Galanda followed free throws with a triple to give the guests a 28-34 halftime edge. Varese led almost all the way in the second half, as a three-pointr by Gregor Hafnar broke the game open, 55-62, with 3 minutes remaining. Milano did not rally and Varese stayed alive in the series.

ITALIAN LEAGUE: Quarterfinal Playoffs, best of 5 games
RecordTeam
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5
3
Montepaschi Siena (1)
95
97
91
x
x
0
Tisettanta Cantu (8)
76
82
60
x
x
3
Lottomatica Roma (4)
73
68
83
x
x
0
Eldo Napoli (5)
57
64
58
x
x
2
Armani Jeans Milano (2)
75
77
62
May 24
May 26*
1
Whirlpool Varese (7)
72
69
71
-
-
2
VidiVici Bologna (3)
87
94
104
May 24
May 26*
1
Angelico Biella (6)
97
69
102
-
-

Quarterfinal Playoffs Games
Game 1
Montepaschi Siena vs. Tisettanta Cantu
95-76
May 16
Game 1
Armani Jeans Milano vs. Whirlpool Varese
75-72
May 16
Game 1
VidiVici Bologna vs. Angelico Biella
87-97
May 16
Game 1
Lottomatica Roma vs. Eldo Napoli
73-57
May 16
Game 2
Tisettanta Cantu vs. Montepaschi Siena
82-97
May 19
Game 2
Whirlpool Varese vs. Armani Jeans Milano
69-77
May 19
Game 2
Angelico Biella vs. VidiVici Bologna
69-94
May 19
Game 2
Eldo Napoli vs. Lottomatica Roma
64-68
May 19
Game 3
Montepaschi Siena vs. Tisettanta Cantu
91-60
May 22
Game 3
Armani Jeans Milano vs. Whirlpool Varese
62-71
May 22
Game 3
VidiVici Bologna vs. Angelico Biella
104-102
May 22
Game 3
Lottomatica Roma vs. Eldo Napoli
83-58
May 22
Game 4
Whirlpool Varese vs. Armani Jeans Milano
-
May 24
Game 4
Angelico Biella vs. VidiVici Bologna
-
May 24
Game 5
Armani Jeans Milano vs. Whirlpool Varese
-
May 26*
Game 5
VidiVici Bologna vs. Angelico Biella
-
May 26*
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
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