Pallacanestro Titano clawed back twelve points in the final two minutes, drawing level with Piacenza at 80-80, only to lose on the buzzer. The league debut at the Multieventi was decided by Marco Bona, whose basket gave the visitors an 80-82 victory. For coach Amadori’s blue-and-whites, the comeback fell just one step short of completion.
The Titans started strong thanks to three-pointers from Macina and Rinaldi. Ugolini’s long-range shot made it 20-10 after six minutes, but Piacenza clawed back to close the first quarter at 25-26. “Fireworks from long distance, with six three-pointers from each side in the first quarter alone,” the club’s statement reads.
In the second period the visitors pulled ahead to 25-30, before Rinaldi, Macina and Benzi responded. The San Marino side retook the lead and found scoring contributions from Dragomanni too, while Rinaldi had to sit out due to foul trouble. At halftime Titano led 45-42.
The second half remained finely balanced. “Coming out of the locker room it was mainly Guaccio, alongside Bona, who allowed Piacenza to go back in front. The defenses showed a different level of effectiveness compared to the first half, and for a few minutes scoring dried up considerably,” the statement reports. The visitors moved ahead 47-50 at the 26-minute mark, but the Titans stayed in touch and entered the final quarter down by just one point, 59-60.
Fusco made it 64-64 with 5’37” remaining. Piacenza then pulled away through Guaccio and Bona, and with two minutes left the score read 66-78. The blue-and-whites reopened the game with two free throws from Fusco and a three-pointer from Macina, making it 71-78 with fifty seconds left on the clock.
The club’s statement reconstructs the dramatic finish: “Ugolini drains a three to make it -4 with 13 seconds left, Bona sinks two free throws for 74-80. On the inbound Fusco hits a three to cut it to -5, the Titans steal the ball immediately after and Fusco himself is fouled on a three-point attempt. All three free throws go in and the Multieventi scoreboard shows an incredible 80-80.”
The tie, however, lasted only until the final play. “In the frantic closing seconds, Piacenza worked the ball up the court and scored the winning basket at the buzzer through Bona.”
Rinaldi finished with 18 points, followed by Fusco with 16, Macina with 15 and Ugolini with 14. Piacenza’s top scorer was Bona with 28 points, ahead of Guaccio with 14.
Box score
Pallacanestro Titano: Renzi 3, Macina 15, Ugolini 14, Fusco 16, Rinaldi 18, San Martini 2, Benzi 5, Dragomanni 7, Capelli dnp, Falcioni dnp. Coach: Amadori.
Italia Chef Piacenza: Pescatori 7, Bona 28, Rigoni 3, Galli 12, Bassani 11, Fumi 3, Lombardi 4, Guaccio 14, Livelli dnp, Camara dnp, Oukara dnp. Coach: Maioli.
Quarter scores: 25-26, 45-42, 59-60, 80-82.
