SerieA: Siena takes Game 4, 81:71, goes up 3-1

Siena’s Daniel Hackett shows some emotion during SerieA Game 4.

Montepaschi Siena took a commanding 3-1 series lead of the Italian SerieA Finals with an 81:71 victory over Acea Roma in Montepaschi.

Daniel Hackett led the way for Siena with 16 points, while David Moss added 15 and Bobby Brown dropped in 14. Luigi Datome paced Roma with 17, Gani Lawal scored 16, and Jordan Taylor tallied 14.

For the first half of the first quarter the clubs played to a 9-all tie, then Siena ran off eight straight. The rule of the run was that only Siena players named Benjamin could participant as Benjamin Eze got the first basket in the paint and completed the three-point play with the free throw after being fouled by Roma’s Bobby Jones. Benjamin Ortner tallied the next three-point play after getting fouled on a lay-up and connecting on the single. Ortner completed the Benjamin run with a dunk that put the hosts up 17:9. After Jordan Taylor dropped in a deuce for Roma, Ortner continued with another short-range bucket. With Montepaschi up 19:11, the guests went on a 1:8 to pull to within one, 20:19 as the first 10 closed.

Siena opened the second with a contract in connections as Viktor Sanikidze threw down a dunk and then Matt Janning dropped a triple from long-range. Aleksander Czyz hit consecutive baskets in the paint for Roma, but a Brown three-ball put Siena up five, 28:23. Through the heart of the second 10 the Siena advantage moved between two and five. With two minutes to play a Hackett jumper put the hosts up 37:32. Datome hit a pair of singles shortly after, then Phil Goss dropped a double and then split a pair of singles to knot the contest at 37 with a minute left in the first half. The only scoring in the final minute was a pair of free throws by Tomas Ress, giving Siena a slight advantage at the break, 39:37.

Taylor tied the contest at 39 with the first jumper of the second half. Datome gave Roma their first lead of the game with a lay-up to put them up 44:45. They exchanged baskets and the lead until Siena ran off five straight, followed by a five-point run of Roma’s. A Hackett lay-up as time ran out on the third pout them up 60:59 with a quarter to play.

Bryan Bailey dropped a three-ball to open the final frame, then Hackett tied things up at 62 with a lay-up. With the scored tied at 66 Matt Janning hit a trio of singles for Siena to get up by three, 69:66. Taylor drew them back to within one, 69:68. Moss and Janning got points in the paint for Siena and then it was Roma trying to get the ball back by putting the hosts on the line. Unfortunately for them, Moss was four of four, Hackett and Janning both went two of two down the stretch to ice the game going away.

Game 5 will shift to Rome on Wednesday. Should Game 6 be needed, they’ll return to Montepaschi on Friday and if Roma strings three straight to take the series to seven games, they’ll finish up in Rome on Sunday the 23rd.