Frank Vitucci gives his players a dressing-down after the crushing defeat against Reyer: “Wake up—I expect more.”

“In the first set, we suffered two major setbacks that put us in a tough spot; we didn’t respond to them, and they really knocked the wind out of us. That said, I would have expected more today, even against such a strong opponent. This isn’t the time to look for excuses, but to show progress. We need to be more focused and alert. I expect more. Next week will be important because we’ll be able to train fully in the gym and have a game over the weekend. We’ll need a week of high intensity.” Acqua S.Bernardo finishes in fourth place at the Garda Ball Elite, and its coach, Frank Vitucci, is far from happy.

In the third-place game, Cantù fell to Reyer Venezia, which secured the victory with a decisive 93-66 win. The start went well for Acqua S.Bernardo, which came out strong and immediately went on a 5-0 run. Venice’s response, however, was not long in coming: Reyer closed the gap and took the lead. In the latter part of the first quarter, contributions from the Reyer bench allowed the Venetians to pull away. Bowman’s three-pointer pushed the lead into double digits, and at the end of the first ten minutes, Venice led 31-18.

Cantù tries to fight back, relying on the efforts of Udom and Gravett, but Reyer maintains control of the game. Solid on both ends of the court, Venice fends off the Biancoblù’s comeback attempts and gradually increases its lead. At halftime, the score was 53-34 in favor of the Venetians.

In the second half, Flagg and Christon tried to spark a rally for Acqua S.Bernardo, but they were unable to shift the momentum of the game. Venice continued to score consistently and widened the gap even further. At the end of the third quarter, Reyer held a commanding 79-53 lead.

In the final quarter, with the game already decided, Venice managed its large lead without giving Cantù a chance to get back into the game. Reyer thus saw the game through to the final buzzer, winning 93-66 and securing third place at the Garda Ball Elite.