Umana Reyer Venice came into the 7DAYS EuroCup as one of the favorites to go far in the competition, but successive defeats to ratiopharm Ulm and Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in the first two weeks of the season dampened those expectations. In Round 3, on the road at U-BT Cluj-Napoca and with a big crowd in attendance, Reyer came away with a much-needed win.
Spissu shows calmness as Reyer records first win of the season
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One of the players who played a decisive role down the stretch was guard Marco Spissu, who finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal for a PIR of 21. But, most importantly for Reyer, he showed an incredible coolness at the free-throw line in the closing stages, going 5-for-5 in the game's final 31 seconds to secure an 80-85 triumph for the Italians.
"It was a tough game, especially after Sunday's game [in the Italian League]. We really showed up in the game with our character and our aggressiveness. I'm really happy with our first win away. We need to continue like this," Spissu stated in his post-match interview.
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The likes of Derek Willis, Michael Bramos and Mitchell Watt also played important roles in Reyer's victory, but without Spissu's ability to stay calm from the line, Cluj's impressive comeback attempt might have actually come off.
