The Italian international guard was perfect from long range as Reyer dismantled the visitors
Superb Spissu put Joventut to the sword with lethal shooting
Umana Reyer Venice earned its first BKT EuroCup win of the season against one of the toughest opponents the Italian club will face in Group A as it beat last season’s semifinalists Joventut Badalona 79-64 thanks to a rip-roaring second-half display from playmaker Marco Spissu.
The 28-year-old sank 4 three-pointers in the final quarter as Reyer turned a 50-52 deficit into a decisive 73-58 lead late in the game, which had the vocal home fans in raptures after a physical contest and a very low-scoring first half.
Reyer led 33-26 at the interval but Jovenut looked the more likely winner after turning the tables in the second half despite poor long-range shooting and being on the back foot in the paint. Ultimately, they were undone by impeccable artillery from Spissu, who racked up a game-high 24 points on 5-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
"The first win for us in the EuroCup, just 48 hours after a derby game [in the Italian League]," an elated Spissu said after the game. "We were a little bit tired but we showed up in front of our fans and right now we just want to keep going."
Joventut was comprehensively outplayed in all departments as Reyer racked up a whopping 42 rebounds against the visiting team’s 37.
Joventut shot a miserable 1 of 14 from three-point range while Reyer nailed 8 of 25. The home side also had more assists (21-16) and fewer turnovers (13-15), having shot 57% from two-point territory while the visitors managed a mere 44%.
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Just as crucially, Spissu’s effort was complemented by sound performances from Amedeo Tessidori (16 points and 8 rebounds) and Ray Jon Tucker (14 points and 6 rebounds), while Deshaun Thomas cut a lonely offensive figure for Joventut with 20 points.
"We played a terrible game and I didn’t recognize my team out there," Joventut’s disgruntled head coach Carles Duran told the post-game press conference. "We made too many stupid mistakes. We gave ourselves a fighting chance in the fourth quarter, but Spissu was outstanding."
Duran’s Reyer counterpart Neven Spahija was delighted with the outcome.
"We were pretty consistent defensively and although we struggled on offense, we scored 31 points in the fourth quarter," he said. "Congratulations to the players and we are looking forward to the upcoming games."