Italy Serie A: EA7 Armani outlasts Montepaschi

Italy Serie A Round 15 – This weekend we had some solid action with eight games on tap. The most critical game played was between EA7 Emporio Armani and Montepaschi Siena. Prior to their encounter Montepaschi was in third place in the standings while Armani was in a not-too-distant fifth. EA7 Armani came away with the 10-point win, 66-56. The victory ended up giving both teams an identical 10-5 record, but with Montepaschi sliding down to fourth place and EA7 Armani leapfrogging them to take their third-place spot.

Armani has been on a roll as of late, even downing Euroleague juggernaut, Olympiacos just a few days back. They were on point against Montepaschi, keeping their composure despite being down by three points at the half. They mounted a 38-25 rally after halftime, securing the lead and did not let the visitors back within threatening distance.

Armani rode high on the efforts of Keith Langford and David Moss (photo above), who proved to be their one-two punch combo, scoring 20 and 16 points respectively. Langford did most of his damage down low while Moss attacked from beyond the arc, converting four of five of his attempts from downtown. Langford currently leads the league in points per game at 19.6.

Montepaschi relied the trio of Marquez Haynes, Othello Hunter and Josh Carter. Hunter was impressive off the bench with a double-double performance, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards. Haynes also managed to add 12 points of his own, despite missing all seven of his shot attempts from two-point range. Carter chipped in a 10-point effort for the night.

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Virtus Roma joins Montepaschi and EA7 Armani with an identical 10-5 record in a virtual three-way tie, thanks to its 86-78 win over Cimberio Varese.

Victoria Libertas Pesaro continues its woeful season with yet another loss, this time it was a 23-point mauling by Umana Venezia, 96-73.

Grissin Bon Reggio Emila (8-7) extended their lead in the standings over Sidigas Avellino (7-8) with a decisive 96-73 victory.

Enel Brindisi continues its strong play, keeping their first-place position in the league (11-4) with yet another win under their belts as they downed Banco di Sardegna Sassari (9-6), 89-80.

Pallacanestro Cantu is able to keep pace with Enel Brindisi, also at 11-4, after beating 11th placed Granarolo Bologna 78-69.

In the battle among cellar-dwelling teams, Vanoli Cremona downed Sutor Montegranaro, 95-90, clambering over their opponents with this standings tiebreaker as both teams are now at 4-11.

Last but not the least, Pasta Reggia JuveCaserta defeated Giorgio Tesi Group Pistoia 80-74, taking them to 7-8 while dropping Pistoia to 6-9.