25.03.2010

Scavolini Dominate Antwerp, Complete Final Four Lineup

Another powerful performance by Scavolini Pesaro helped book their place in the EuroChallenge Final Four line-up after they recorded an impressive 78-63 road win in Belgium against Antwerp Giants.

The Italians will be joined in the Final Four by the Russian club Krasnye Krylia, the Germans of BG Göttingen and the French outfit Chorale Roanne. All finalists have swept their quarter-final series.

Having dominated the previous match-up, the Italian side once again stamped their authority on the game and were led by 18 points from Marques Green who bagged four triples.

Antwerp had the better of the early exchanges but a 10-4 finish to the opening period gave the Italian outfit a 20-16 lead and they continued to hold the upper hand in the second quarter.

When Green shot a big three to complete the scoring in the first half and give the Italians a 41-34 lead heading into the locker rooms, it left the Giants with plenty to ponder to stand any chance of forcing a tie-breaker in the series.

While dominant on the glass, the hosts were misfiring on offence from outside and unable to apply any real defensive pressure with a lack of steals in the opening two quarters particularly telling.

It wasn't long before things got worse when five quick points from Dusan Sakota took Scavolini into a double digit lead at 47-35 and minutes later he buried another three-pointer, to extend the advantage to 50-36.

Antwerp showed only a few glimpses of having the potential to launch a telling fightback, mainly through Brandon Gay who solved the drought from outside but he lacked the necessary support.

Consequently Scavolini were able to stroll into the Final Four without much resistance.

Green had 4 steals and 3 assists to complete the best line of the night while Gay finished with 15 points for the Giants.

 

25.03.2010

Quotes Antwerp Giants vs. Scavolini Pesaro

Eddy Casteels, Antwerp coach:
"A lot of fun, a lot of joy, this sums up my feeling about this European Campaign. We were missing some players of course, but I personally failed in convincing my team that it could be done. Brandon Gay is an example for all our young players."

Roel Moors, Antwerp player:
"In the first half the difference [between the two teams] was small, but we made some silly turnovers. It was the 3-2 zone defense which created the gap between the teams. We were missing some of our key players and Scavolini had a longer bench. I am disappointed, but it is important now to focus on our [domestic league] match against Mons."

Luca Dalmonte, Scavolini coach:
"Even without some key players, Antwerp is still a good team. Of course we were lucky that Tim Black could not play. Now we have to close this European chapter and focus on the national league."

Sam Van Rossom, Scavolini player:
"[It was] Nice [for me] coming back home! However, I was not thinking about this during the game. It is a special moment in my career to qualify for a Final Four."