Fortitudo: heart and defense. Cantù KO, we go to game 4

Bologna, 15 May 2025 – First a meow, then a roar to 4500 voices. So the Fortitudo passes Cantù 77-68 in the Bologna premiere of the A2 quarterfinals and thus brings the series to game four, which will be played on Saturday at 20,30:0 pm. After the ugly 2-XNUMX defeat in Brianza, coach Caja's men manage to resist the shock wave from Cantù and finally impose their game and defensive dominance after a two-faced match.

The news

Despite the welcome from all over 'Madison', with the spectacular 360-degree choreography to strengthen the unconditional love of his people (repeatedly indicated by coach Caja as the best on the field), Effe starts contracted between lost balls and shooting errors: three-pointers in sequence by McGee, Valentini and Basile and Cantù makes it 6-13. It is then Bolpin who forces the Brianza area and with two consecutive free throws finds the 12-13 that puts Bologna back on track in the match. Panni and Aradori respond to Moraschini's monologue, but Panni's triple that could have brought the gap back to one possession stops on the rim: at the first siren it's 17-23.

Cantù stays on the symphony just before and in just 90” the Moraschini-Baldi Rossi tandem arrives to give the first push to the white-blues, who fall to -13 forcing Caja to call a time-out. Fantinelli and Aradori outline a timid return to the track, but the impossibility of taming the guests in the offensive half of the court, together with the 8 balls lost in the first half, gives Baldi Rossi time and too much space to score the 24-36 at 17'.

Gabriel unblocks his scorecard after two quarters chasing the basket, but another step back by Baldi Rossi says 32-40 at the long break. McGee's triple kicks off the second half, then a noisy blitz by Effe closes the gap with a 10-0 run by Gabriel-Aradori that makes it 42-43. All this before the nerves snap: foul by Fantinelli, technical to Aradori for protests and subsequent technical to Cusin for 'flopping', but Cantù doesn't give the whip and Gabriel's triple makes it even and detonates the PalaDozza (45-45). The inertia is all Bologna's, which with the fight on Fantinelli's loose ball and his support on the glass puts its head ahead for the first time (47-45). Cusin and Mian make it +6 and the third quarter goes to ice 55-49.

The march does not stop and first Gabriel then Bolpin, they raise the pace both in attack and defense: 'Fante' for Bolpin from 6,75 and a Fortitudo shoulder that is worth +11 with 7' to go. The captain takes his team on his shoulders and becomes the leader: eighth foul suffered and a stray danger in the Cantù half of the court, he is the one to keep the bar straight. Panni's triple, Gabriel's triple and Effe mortgages game four (76-60).

The little table

Fortitude 77 Cantu 68 Flats Service Fortitudo Bologna: Ferrucci Morandi no, Bonfiglioli no, Aradori 8, Gabriel 20, Battistini no, Bolpin 8, Panni 6, Cusin 2, Mian 9, Fantinelli 15, Freeman 9, Sabatini no. Coach Caja. San Bernardo Cantu water: Valentini 3, Baldi Rossi 8, Moraschini 9, De Nicolao 2, Piccoli 9, Basile 15, Hogue 1, Riismaa 1, McGee 18, Okeke 2. Coach Brienza. Referees: Attard, Perocco, Morassutti. Footnotes: partials 17-23; 32-40; 55-49. Two-point shots: Fortitudo 19/35; Cantù 9/22. Three-pointers: 8/20; 13/37. Free throws: 15/18; 11/16. Rebounds: 38; 23.