Italian League, Game 28: March 22-25, 2008
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History was rewritten in the Italian League this weekend, as Montepaschi Siena became the regular season champion with six games to go in this phase. No other Italian team had even clinched first place so early in the regular season. Montepaschi locked the top spot by by beating Benetton 66-74 in Treviso on Saturday. Vlado Ilievski led the winners with 18 points. Romain Sato added 14 while Ksistof Lavrinovic had 12 for Montepaschi. Lionel Chalmers had 19 points for Benetton. Lottomatica Roma improved to 19-9 and stayed second by beating Tisettanta Cantu 80-69 in overtime at home on Saturday. Roko Ukic paced the winners with 27 points, including 7 eraly in overtime to break the game for good. Armani Jeans Milano improved to 15-13 by topping Snaidero Udine 95-86 at home on Saturday behind 28 points from Danilo Gallinari while Upim Bologna went down to 14-14 due to a 82-80 road loss against Pierrel Capo d'Orlando on free throws by former Fortitudo playmaker Gianmarco Pozzecco. In other games, Legea Scafati thrashed Angelico Biella 83-65, Scavolini Spar Pesaro downed Cimberio Varese 84-67, Air Avellino edged Siviglia Wear Teramo 79-82, Eldo Napoli beat Solsonica Rieti 99-89 while La Fortezza Bologna hosts Premiata Montegranaro on Tuesday.
Montepaschi Siena mathematically clinched first place by beating Benetton 66-74 in Treviso on Saturday. Ilievski led the winners with 18 points. Sato added 14 while Lavrinovic had 12 for Montepaschi, that played without floor general Terrell McIntyre. Chalmers had 19 points for Benetton, Nana Mensah-Monsu added 13 while Marco Mordente got 11 for the hosts, that led 39-38 midway through the third quarter. Ben Eze, Sato and free throws by Lavrinovic helped Montepaschi to get a 44-50 margin after 30 minutes. Back-to-back triples by Chalmers brought Benetton within 63-64 with 3 minutes remaining. Ilievski and Lavrinovic combined for 10 points in the final 2 minutes to make Montepaschi seal yet another road win. Armani Jeans Milano improved to 15-13 by topping Snaidero Udine 95-86 at home on Saturday. Danilo Gallinari led the winners with 28 points on 9-for-9 free throws. Dusan Vukcevic added 19 points, Mindaugas Katelynas had 17 while Travis Watson posted a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds for Milano, that trailed 36-43 at the break. Gallinari, Katelynas and Watson brought Milano back to life, but a three-pointer by Fabio Di Bella only got the hosts within 63-64 after 30 minutes. A 13-4 run that Gallinari capped with a triple but Milano ahead for good, 81-73. Free throw accuracy and a final dunk by Katelynas allowed the hosts to seal the win in style.
Lottomatica Roma improved to 19-9 and stayed second by beating Tisettanta Cantu 80-69 in overtime at home on Saturday. Ukic paced the winners with 27 points. Erazem Lorbek added 18 while Rodrigo De La Fuente posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds for Lottomatica. David Hawkins and an outstanding De La Fuente allowed Roma to get a 24-11 margin after 10 minutes. Ukic followed a triple with a layup to keep Roma ahead, 38-31, at halftime. Another three-pointer by Ukic made it a 15-point game, 50-35, but Cantu did not panic. DaShaun Wood stroke three time from downtown to complete the guests' comeback, 52-54, early in the fourth quarter. A free throw by Ukic gave Roma a 66-64 with seconds to go regulation but Torin Francis stepped up with a put-back layup to send the game to overtime, 66-66. Ukic had 7 points in a 9-0 opening run for Lottomatica in the extra period that sealed the outcome. Upim Bologna went down to 14-14 due to a 82-80 road loss against Pierrel Capo d'Orlando. Romel Beck and former Fortitudo playmaker Gianmarco Pozzecco led the winners each with 21 points. Kristaps Janicenoks had 20 points for Upim, James Thomas added 12 while Joseph Forte and Stefano Mancinelli each got 10 for the guests, that got its last lead, 77-78, on a put-back basket by Oscar Torres. Horace Jenkins tied the game with free throws, 80-80, Pozzecco made foul shots in the other end while Forte missed a desperation three-point shot at the buzzer.
LAST GAME GAME 28
March 22, 2008 | | Day | Match | Result | | Mar. 22 | Benetton vs. Montepaschi | 66-74 | | Mar. 22 | L. Scafati vs. Biella | 83-65 | | Mar. 22 | Scavolini Spar vs. Varese | 84-67 | | Mar. 22 | Lottomatica vs. Cantu | 80-69 | | Mar. 22 | AJ Milano vs. Snaidero | 95-86 | | Mar. 22 | C. d'Orlando vs. Upim BO | 82-80 | | Mar. 22 | Teramo vs. Air Avellino | 79-82 | | Mar. 22 | Eldo Napoli vs. Rieti | 99-89 | | Mar. 25 | La Fortezza vs. Premiata | - |
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NEXT GAME GAME 29
March 28-30, 2008 | | Day | Match | | Mar. 28 | Montepaschi vs. Scavolini | | Mar. 29 | Rieti vs. La Fortezza | | Mar. 29 | Air Avellino vs. L. Scafati | | Mar. 29 | Premiata vs. C. d'Orlando | | Mar. 30 | Upim BO vs. Lottomatica | | Mar. 30 | Benetton vs. Eldo Napoli | | Mar. 30 | AJ Milano vs. Biella | | Mar. 30 | Cimberio Varese vs. Cantu | | Mar. 30 | Snaidero vs. Teramo |
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| STANDINGS | TG | W | L | P+ | P- | | 1 | Montepaschi Siena | 28 | 26 | 2 | 2461 | 1967 | | 2 | Lottomatica Roma | 28 | 19 | 9 | 2220 | 2036 | | 3 | Premiata Montegranaro | 27 | 18 | 9 | 2277 | 2152 | | 4 | Air Avellino | 28 | 18 | 10 | 2369 | 2177 | | 5 | Pierrel Capo d'Orlando | 28 | 17 | 11 | 2446 | 2437 | | 6 | Armani Jeans Milano | 28 | 15 | 13 | 2204 | 2186 | | 7 | Scavolini Spar Pesaro | 28 | 15 | 13 | 2252 | 2284 | | 8 | Upim Bologna | 28 | 14 | 14 | 2171 | 2202 | | 9 | Tisettanta Cantù | 28 | 13 | 15 | 2233 | 2289 | | 10 | Solsonica Rieti | 28 | 13 | 15 | 2227 | 2265 | | 11 | Angelico Biella | 28 | 13 | 15 | 2246 | 2375 | | 12 | Eldo Napoli | 28 | 12 | 16 | 2219 | 2292 | | 13 | Siviglia Wear Teramo | 28 | 12 | 16 | 2354 | 2430 | | 14 | Snaidero Cucine Udine | 28 | 12 | 16 | 2121 | 2269 | | 15 | Benetton Treviso | 28 | 11 | 17 | 2144 | 2149 | | 16 | La Fortezza Bologna | 27 | 10 | 17 | 2128 | 2180 | | 17 | Legea Scafati | 28 | 8 | 20 | 2122 | 2279 | | 18 | Cimberio Varese | 28 | 5 | 23 | 2172 | 2397 |
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