Serie A2 Round 2 (Regular Season): Mestre loses to Livorno

There were only 2 rounds played so far and it's still very beginning of the Regular Season in Serie A2. The round was exceptionally exciting as four games ended with a tiny margin. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Mestre at the home court on Saturday night. Hosts were rolled over by Livorno 88-49. Livorno dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Mestre's 24. They outrebounded Mestre 42-26 including a 32-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was American guard Jayvon Graves (191-1998, college: Buffalo) who had a double-double by scoring 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. point guard Lorenzo Penna (180-1998) chipped in 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. American forward Hasan Varence (203-1997, college: Ohio Dominican) produced 7 points and 8 rebounds for the hosts. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Livorno is looking forward to face Cremona on the road in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Mestre will play against Sassari and is hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
Another exciting game where Avellino edged by one point Rimini 73-72. American forward Tariq Owens (208-1995, college: Texas Tech) saved the victory by scoring 21 points and 6 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). Mattia Palumbo contributed with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Davide Denegri (184-1998, agency: SLN) replied with 27 points for Rimini. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Avellino will play against Forli at home in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Rimini will play against Fortitudo in Bologna to get more than just one victory in their record.
A very close game took place in Caserta between Fortitudo and Caserta Pap.. Fortitudo got a very close victory on the road over Caserta Pap.. Fortitudo managed to escape with a 2-point win 83-81 on Sunday evening. Guest team only slightly avoided a big embarassment. Jamel Morris scored 29 points (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners. Jaron Johnson responded with 24 points and 4 assists. Caserta Pap.'s coach Lino Lardo rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Fortitudo will meet at home Rimini in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Caserta Pap. will play against Pesaro and hope to win that game.

Rest of the games of round 2 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Cividale defeated Puglia in a road game 86-83. Brindisi beat Milano Urania at home 84-81. Montecatini won against Sassari on the opponent's court 81-72. Vigevano lost to Rieti in a home game 64-79. Cento lost to Forli on the road 73-80. Pesaro defeated Cremona on its own court 87-84. Torino beat Pistoia in a road game 84-77.



Mestre - Livorno 49-88:
The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Mestre at the home court on Saturday night. Hosts were rolled over by Livorno 88-49. Livorno dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Mestre's 24. They outrebounded Mestre 42-26 including a 32-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was American guard Jayvon Graves (191-1998, college: Buffalo) who had a double-double by scoring 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. point guard Lorenzo Penna (180-1998) chipped in 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Four Livorno players scored in double figures. American forward Hasan Varence (203-1997, college: Ohio Dominican) produced 7 points and 8 rebounds and his fellow American import guard KeShawn Curry (193-1998, college: VCU) added 8 points respectively for the hosts. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Livorno is looking forward to face Cremona on the road in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Mestre will play against Sassari and is hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
Top scorers:
Mestre: S.Valsecchi 11, K.Curry 8+3reb, H.Varence 7+8reb+2ast, C.Lorenzo 7+3reb, C.Bechi 6+2reb+1ast, L.Galmarini 4+2reb
Livorno: G.Jayvon 21+10reb+4ast, T.Matthew 11+4reb+1ast, P.Luca 10+4reb, T.Luca 10+3reb, G.Vildera 10+5reb, C.David 8+1reb+1ast

Puglia - Cividale 83-86:
But Puglia was not able to use a home court advantage and was edged by the opponent from Cividale 86-83 on Sunday night. Center Matteo Berti (212-1998) had a double-double by scoring 11 points and 14 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and naturalized Argentinian point guard Lucio Redivo (183-1994) chipped in 15 points and 5 assists during the contest. Cividale's coach Stefano Pillastrini used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. American point guard Jazz Johnson (178-1996, college: Nevada) responded with 32 points and swingman Riccardo Chinellato (198, agency: SLN) scored 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Cividale will meet Torino on the road in the next round where they are favorite. Puglia will play against Milano Urania and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Puglia: J.Johnson 32+4reb+3ast, M.Bogliardi 18+6reb+2ast, R.Chinellato 17+9reb+4ast, D.Hogue 6+2reb, V.Leonardo 4+2reb, V.Guaiana 3+5reb+1ast
Cividale: K.Seneca 19+2reb, R.Lucio 15+3reb+5ast, C.Luca 12+2reb, B.Matteo 11+14reb+1ast, T.Vecchiola 9+4reb+1ast, F.Alessandro 7+6reb+2ast

Brindisi - Milano Urania 84-81:
No shocking result in a game when Brindisi edged at home Milano Urania 84-81 on Sunday. However just three-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. Strangely Milano Urania outrebounded Brindisi 42-27 including 27 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. American center JaCorey Williams (203-1994, college: MTSU) scored 20 points and 9 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import guard Kendrick Ray (188-1994, college: KSU) chipped in 11 points and 4 assists during the contest. Naturalized American forward Anthony Morse (203-1994, college: Tenn Tech) responded with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds and ex-international swingman Alessandro Gentile (200) scored 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Brindisi will meet Montecatini on the road in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Milano Urania will play against Puglia and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Milano Urania: A.Morse 16+11reb, G.Alessandro 14+7reb+5ast, N.Italiano 13+2reb, T.Scott-Grayson 11+3reb+1ast, F.Galli 7+3reb, S.Saccoccia 6+2reb+2ast
Brindisi: W.JaCorey 20+9reb+1ast, M.Martino 16+1reb+1ast, R.Kendrick 11+4reb+4ast, E.Ethan 10+4reb+1ast, C.Andrea 8+3reb+6ast, C.Lorenzo 6+1reb+6ast

Sassari - Montecatini 72-81:
There was a minor upset when Sassari was defeated at home by Montecatini 81-72 on Sunday. Montecatini made 18-of-20 free shots (90.0 percent) during the game. American guard Marquis Barnett (194-2003, college: Kent St.) scored 16 points and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and point guard Andrea Bargnesi (182-2001) chipped in 15 points during the contest. Montecatini's coach Marco Andreazza used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American-Nigerian Bryce Nze (210-1998, college: Butler) responded with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds and point guard Alessandro Grande (185-1994) scored 18 points and 5 assists. Four Sassari players scored in double figures. Montecatini will meet at home Brindisi in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Sassari will play against Mestre and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sassari: A.Grande 18+2reb+5ast, A.Simone 17+7reb+1ast, B.Nze 16+12reb+2ast, J.Riismaa 13+7reb+3ast, N.Nobili 4+4reb+2ast, S.Flood 2+4reb+3ast
Montecatini: H.Jordan 16+3reb+2ast, B.Marquis 16+7reb+1ast, B.Andrea 15+4reb+3ast, A.Mattia 10+3reb+1ast, L.Ion 9+5reb+1ast, P.Francesco 7+6reb+2ast

Caserta Pap. - Fortitudo BO 81-83:
A very close game took place in Caserta between Fortitudo and Caserta Pap.. Fortitudo got a very close victory on the road over Caserta Pap.. Fortitudo managed to escape with a 2-point win 83-81 on Sunday evening. Guest team only slightly avoided a big embarassment. Fortitudo shot 69.6 percent from the field. They shot the lights out from three sinking 12 long-distance shots on high 66.7 percentage. American guard Jamel Morris (193-1992, college: Fairmont St., agency: SLN) scored 29 points (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners and Lithuanian forward Paulius Sorokas (204-1992, agency: Players Group) chipped in 14 points during the contest. American Jaron Johnson (198-1992, college: La Tech) responded with 24 points and 4 assists and his fellow American import power forward Jalen Henry (203-1996, college: SIUE) scored 20 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Caserta Pap.'s coach Lino Lardo rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Fortitudo will meet at home Rimini in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Caserta Pap. will play against Pesaro and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Caserta Pap.: J.Johnson 24+3reb+4ast, J.Henry 20+5reb, D.D'Argenzio 10, A.Lo Biondo 9+1reb+1ast, D.Hadzic 6+2reb, A.Sperduto 4+1reb
Fortitudo BO: M.Jamel 29+2reb, S.Paulius 14+4reb+2ast, Z.Alessandro 10+1ast, T.Guariglia 8+1ast, S.Alvise 8+3reb, A.Simon 5+2reb+1ast

Vigevano - Rieti 64-79:
Very predictable result when Rieti beat on the road Vigevano 79-64 on Sunday. American guard Devonte Green (191-1997, college: Indiana) scored 23 points to lead the charge for the winners and Vittorio Bartoli (201-2002) chipped in 12 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. Four Rieti players scored in double figures. American forward Deshawn Freeman (201-1994, college: Rutgers, agency: One Motive Sports) responded with 15 points and 7 rebounds and guard Alfredo Boglio (190-2003, college: RMU) scored 18 points and 4 assists. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Rieti will meet at home Pistoia in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Vigevano will play against Cento and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Vigevano: A.Boglio 18+1reb+4ast, D.Freeman 15+7reb+1ast, I.Brickner 13+2reb+2ast, V.Cucchiaro 5+1reb+4ast, F.Reggiani 4+4reb, F.Nicola 4+3reb+2ast
Rieti: G.Devonte 23+3reb+2ast, W.Romello 12+6reb+1ast, B.Vittorio 12+7reb+1ast, I.Matteo 10+4reb+1ast, S.Giovanni 5+4reb+1ast, P.Lorenzo 5+1reb+1ast

Forli - Cento 80-73:
Not a big story in a game when Cento was defeated on the road by Forli 80-73 on Saturday. Forli made 16-of-20 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. Point guard Nicola Berdini (185-2003) scored 9 points and 6 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Croatian guard Toni Perkovic (191-1998, agency: AltusBasket) chipped in 17 points during the contest. American point guard Avery Woodson (188-1993, college: Butler, agency: SLN) responded with 26 points and his fellow American import forward Stacy Davis (198-1994, college: Pepperdine) produced a double-double by scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Forli will meet Avellino on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Cento will play against Vigevano and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Cento: A.Woodson 26+2reb+2ast, S.Davis 18+10reb+2ast, N.Tanfoglio 9+4reb, M.Munari 8+2reb, L.Conti 6+2reb, S.Moretti 6+8reb+2ast
Forli: P.Toni 17+1reb, C.Mattia 12+1reb+4ast, B.Nicola 9+4reb+6ast, S.Marcus 8+4reb+1ast, Z.Giacomo 8+5reb, P.Tommaso 7+2ast

Pesaro - Cremona 87-84:
Everything went according to plan when Pesaro edged at home Cremona 87-84 on Sunday. However just three-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. Pesaro looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Lithuanian Regimantas Miniotas (206-1996) scored 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American forward Tevin Mack (200, college: Clemson, agency: Octagon Europe) chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Power forward Alexander Cicchetti (203-1998, agency: Players Group) responded with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 10 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) and guard Marco Restelli (191-2004) scored 20 points. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Pesaro will meet at home Caserta Pap. in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Cremona will play against Livorno and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Cremona: M.Restelli 20+3reb+3ast, E.Reed Jr. 18+3reb+4ast, A.Cicchetti 16+10reb+1ast, M.Anumba 12+3reb+1ast, S.Barbante 7+5reb+3ast, L.Maspero 6+1reb+8ast
Pesaro: A.Matteo 22+1reb, M.Tevin 20+6reb, M.Regimantas 18+8reb+5ast, S.Gabriele 15+3reb+3ast, T.Stefano 4+2reb+3ast, S.Yaya 4+4reb

Pistoia - Torino 77-84:
But Pistoia was not able to use a home court advantage and was defeated by the opponent from Torino 84-77 on Sunday night. Torino looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. American forward Terry Allen (202-1993, college: Richmond) scored 25 points to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import guard Zach Harvey (194-2001, college: UCSB, agency: Octagon Europe) chipped in 23 points during the contest. point guard Matteo Schina (182-2001, agency: Players Group) responded with 19 points and American guard Caleb Walker (193-1989, college: Nebraska) scored 15 points. Four Pistoia players scored in double figures. Pistoia's coach Franco Ciani tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Torino will meet at home Cividale in the next round. Pistoia will play against Rieti and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Pistoia: M.Schina 19+2reb+2ast, C.Walker 15+4reb+2ast, A.Filloy 13+1reb+1ast, I.Josh Ajayi 11+4reb+2ast, A.Mouaha 8+1reb, G.Benetti 4+3reb+1ast
Torino: T.Allen 25+4reb+2ast, H.Zach 23+2reb+2ast, F.Stefano 10+5reb+1ast, P.Simone 8+3reb+4ast, G.Matteo 7+5reb+2ast, S.Francesco 6+3reb

Rimini - Avellino 72-73:
Another exciting game where Avellino edged by one point Rimini 73-72. They outrebounded Rimini 38-26 including 28 on the defensive glass. American forward Tariq Owens (208-1995, college: Texas Tech) saved the victory by scoring 21 points and 6 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). ex-international Mattia Palumbo (198) contributed with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Four Avellino players scored in double figures. Davide Denegri (184-1998, agency: SLN) replied with 27 points and ex-international Mattia Udom (202-1993) added 14 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Rimini. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Avellino will play against Forli at home in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Rimini will play against Fortitudo in Bologna to get more than just one victory in their record.
Top scorers:
Rimini: D.Denegri 27+3reb+3ast, M.Udom 14+6reb+3ast, A.Simioni 7+2reb, C.Demps 7+4reb+4ast, P.Marini 7+2reb+5ast, D.Stephens 4+4reb+1ast
Avellino: O.Tariq 21+6reb, F.Blake 12+2reb+4ast, P.Mattia 12+8reb+4ast, M.Marco 10+8reb, G.DellAgnello 7+1reb+3ast, Z.Andrea 5+5reb