Itelyum Varese suffered its second consecutive loss in the BCL, falling to Peristeri Betsson 82-85 in front of the home crowd at the Itelyum Arena after a hard-fought and thrilling game. Still without McDowell-White, the red-and-white squad also had to cope with the early exit of Amedeo Della Valle, who was forced to leave the court as early as the first quarter due to a physical issue; his condition will be evaluated later this week. After an excellent first half, which they closed out with a 15-point lead, Coach Kastritis’s team allowed the Greek squad to mount a comeback in the second half. However, they managed to fight back and regain the lead in the final minutes before ultimately succumbing to the visitors’ decisive baskets. Itelyum will return to the court on Sunday, this time in the LBA, for an away game against Trento, with tip-off set for 4:00 p.m.
Itelyum got off to a good start with free throws by Alviti, but Peristeri responded immediately with Gkiouzelis. The red-and-whites try to take control of the game thanks to Duke Jr. and Kamagate, but the visitors stay in the game with Anderson and Finch, responding blow for blow to Varese’s attempts to pull away. Three-pointers by Hale and Librizzi allow Kastritis’s team to maintain the lead, before Duke Jr. scores five consecutive points to make it 27-22. In the closing moments, however, the Greek team closes the gap with Freidel, bringing the score to 27-26 at the first buzzer.
Nikolic opened the second quarter, then Duke Jr. took charge with two consecutive three-pointers that put the score at 35-28 and forced Coach Xanthopoulos to call a timeout. Itelyum continues to push the pace with Hale and Villa, building a double-digit lead at 40-30. The visitors try to fight back, but the red-and-whites maintain their high intensity and, thanks to Roby, Duke Jr., and Renfro, extend their lead further to 49-35. It was Renfro again who hit the basket to make it a 14-point lead, before a free throw in the closing seconds sent the teams into the locker rooms with the score at 52-37.
The second half opened with a Greek-dominated run, as Peristeri went on an impressive 11-0 run thanks to Payne and three-pointers by Freidel, Carius, and Nichols, forcing Coach Kastritis to call a timeout with the score at 52-48. Alviti tried to spark his team from beyond the arc, but the visitors continued to find the basket with great consistency, gradually chipping away at the deficit until Nikolaidis tied the game at 60-60. Anderson completed the comeback, putting the Greek team ahead, and they even took a 3-point lead thanks to Gkiouzelis. In the closing minutes, however, it was Nikolic who kept Itelyum in the game, sinking the free throws that tied the score at 64-64 to end the third quarter.
The final quarter opens with a basket by Carius, to which Renfro and Roby respond, putting Itelyum back in the lead, but Peristeri regains the lead thanks to Freidel and Payne. The red-and-whites try to stay in the game, but three-pointers by Carius and Nichols push the visitors ahead 73-78. Varese responds with grit, first with a three-pointer by Alviti and then one by Hale, which sends the Itelyum Arena into a frenzy as they take the lead, 79-78. The joy was short-lived, however, as Carius hit a sensational three-pointer to flip the lead back, before Nichols and another Greek basket pushed the score to 79-85. Roby’s three-pointer as time expired served only to set the final score at 82–85, sealing Itelyum’s defeat.