Reggio Emilia wins EuroChallenge championship

Bologna, Italy – The Italian club Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia defeated Russian opponents Triumph Lyubertsy 79-65 to win the 2013-14 EuroChallenge championship. This is the first time the team has won the EuroChallenge. After a solid run during the regular season, Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia came through in the end when the title was on the line. Their post-season run began with a 2-0 sweep of Krasnie Krilya Samara in the quarterfinals, followed by a 11-point romp over Royal Hali Gaziantep in the semis. Their decisive 14-point domination of their opponents is the second-best margin in a title match since 2006.

Reggio Emilia began the game slowly, but found their shot towards the end of the first period and found themselves ahead of Triumph 23-16 after one. Thanks to a few turnovers by the Russian squad and some solid baskets converted by Reggio Emilia in transition, the Italian team ballooned their lead by the halftime horn and were up 48-32 going into the break. By the third quarter, the Italian fans could already sense victory and were already screaming for joy in the rafters with each possession as their team looked like they were in complete control. The hosts maintained a steady defensive effort and Triumph was not able to threaten their lead allowing them to cruise to victory.

Triumph’s Cory Higgins and Milovan Rakovic combined for 41 of their team’s 59-point output, with 21 and 20 respectively, but could not get more valuable support from their other teammates. Reggio Emilia was led by James White, who finished the game with 17 points. Rimantas Kaukenas scored 15. Both players combined for 14-14 free throws, part of the team’s impressive 96.8 shooting percentage from the foul line.