The Italian side won in a dramatic finale
How Trento rallied from 13 points down in final 6 minutes to surprise Joventut
Article
6 Mins read
Dolomiti Energia Trento deserves a lot of respect for its 87-85 home victory over Joventut Badalona. The surprising win came after Trento first fought back into the game from 16 points down but then rallied from 13 points behind to pull it out thanks to some impressive energy boosted by the home fans.
The Il T Quotidiano Arena witnessed an unexpected comeback and one that exhibited how impactful the fans in Trento can be.
When asked about turning the game around despite trailing by 13 points with under 6 minutes to go, Trento star Anthony Lamb said: “It was really the fans. They carried us all the way through. Unbelievable energy today, especially the fourth quarter. They helped us come back and win that game. It was all them.”
Lamb scored a team-high 22 points, including 17 of them in the second half. Jordan Ford was limited in the first half as well but ended with 14 points. But perhaps the game-changer was Andrea Pecchia. The 26-year-old poured in a career-high 11 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
And it was the guard’s effort that sparked the Trento comeback.
Paolo Galbiati’s side trailed by 16 points in the second quarter and pulled to within two points twice in the third period. After the second time, Joventut surged ahead with a 2-13 run to lead 62-75. Trento however did not give up. Lamb responded with two scores, and Pecchia drove coast to coast for a dashing layup and added two more free throws to make it 73-75.
Trento had just seen Joventut open some breathing room again at 75-81 when Pecchia got tied up with Ante Tomic, who was called for an unsportsmanlike foul with under 2 minutes to go.
Pecchia split his two free throws before Lamb scored on the ensuing possession. Lamb the next time down drained a triple and it was a one-point game 81-82.
After a Joventut timeout, the usually sure-handed veteran Tomic threw a pass to a surprised Adam Hanga, which Pecchia snatched and put in for Trento’s first lead.
The next possession, Tomic again made a mistake, committing an offensive foul far from the basket. Joventut’s head coach Dani Miret could not believe it and was hit with a technical.
The final 45 seconds turned into a free throw shooting game with Lamb converting the technical foul as well as two other free throws and Ford split two chances from the charity stripe. Devon Dotson could only make one of two for Joventut and Tomic knocked down two foul shots and the game came down to Keye van der Vuurst with a three-pointer at the buzzer which went off target.
“We believed. We were down 13 but we had a great reaction. Anthony Lamb stepped up very well. I am super happy for Pecchia, who played an amazing game with a crazy effort. It was a good win because we defended our home court,” the Trento coach said afterwards.
Trento is right there in the fight for the playoffs in Group A with a 3-4 record. And the home crowd is definitely providing a major boost as the club has collected a 3-1 record at home. And it showed how much it can help the team rally from big deficits.