Rain of triples, Milan ok in Bologna

Absolute domination. Olimpia Milano, excluding a start without the right charge, overwhelms Obiettivo Lavoro Bologna (101-85) and takes with great authority the derby of Italy, continuing the very positive moment. As we said, there was never a game at the Unipol Arena: as soon as Repesa’s team tightened its defensive mesh, there was no alternative for the hosts to Pittman’s initiatives near the basket. The red-and-whites still had an overflowing Simon, especially in the first half, an excellent performance on both ends of the court by Cinciarini, but overall an intense game by the entire team (seven men in double figures).

The start is distracted for the red and white lineup, with many shooting errors and little defensive work, so Repesa is forced into an early timeout, with the hosts up +9 (11-2 at 4′). When EA7 wakes up and shifts gears, it takes them a few minutes to completely turn the tide: Cinciarini ups the tempo, Sanders gives the change of pace and there is overtaking, with an 18-8 partial in 4′. Olimpia takes over the game in the final quarter (25-31 at 10′), when it places a new 8-0 with full-court pressing, with which it forces the ‘Black Vs’ to two fumbles in ten seconds.

Milan scores back-to-back triples, suffering only Pittman’s pounds near the basket, and soon finds the double-digit lead, with points from a very inspired Simon (18 points in the first half) and a growing McLean, as well as a defense that gets under the bianconeri’s skin. The gap reached 17 points (35-52 at 19′) before the long halftime, then surpassed +20 at the start of the second half, with Cinciarini’s triple and a couple of good plays by Batista. EA7-Emporio Armani had fun, even with some signature assists, and controlled easily until the final buzzer, despite an 0-11 suffered in the fourth period, closing it out for good with Lafayette and thus keeping the top of the standings with Reggio Emilia.

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