rallied to beat Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 84-87 and reach Italian Cup finals. Rakim Sanders led the way with 22 points and 5 steals, while Davide Pascolo scored 9 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter for Milan. Pietro Aradori was Reggio Emilia’s top scorer with 14 points. Reggio Emilia had 8 different scorers in the first quarter, and finished it with a 14-4 run, capped with an Aradori triple that made it 26-18. Reggio Emilia extended it to 38-28 in the second, but Sanders scored 11 points in the second stanza to help Milan get back and tie the game at 45-45 at halftime. Teams traded leads in the third, and Aradori’s basket got Reggio Emilia in front at the end of the third quarter, 64-59. Davide Pascolo kept Milan in touch in the fourth, before Zoran Dragic, Andrea Cinciarini and Milan Macvan hit back-to-back threes to make it 81-87, and Milan held on for victory. In Sunday’s final, Milan will play Banco di Sardegna Sassari which downed Germani Basket Brescia 77-70. Trevor Lacey had 15 points plus 8 rebounds, and Rok Stipcevic scored 13 points in victory.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milano vs. Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia
EA7 Emporio Armani Milano successfully defended the Italian Cup with an 84-74 come-from-behind win over Banco di Sardegna Sassari in the final on Sunday. Ricky Hickman made 5 of 7 shots from downtown en route to 25 points, Rakim Sanders scored 15 points and Milan Macvan added 11 for the winners. Sassari took charge from the start with a 2-13 run and led 11-19 after 10 minutes. A Josh Carter triple made it 15-25 midway through the second quarter, but Sanders heated up as Milan fought back and Hickman’s triple to end the half drew Milan within 34-36. A three by Sanders to open the second half gave Milan its first lead. Hickman netted another three and Davide Pascolo converted a three-point play to boost the margin to 46-40. Andrea Cinciarini further extended the margin to 9 before strong play by Gani Lawal sparked a Sassari comeback. A David Bell jumper made it 56-54 through three quarters. It was still a 2-point game four minutes into the fourth quarter when Hickman and Macvan combined for all Milan’s points in an 11-2 march to take a 75-64 advantage with 3:38 remaining. Sassari raced back with 8 straight points, but was held to a single basket over the final two minutes as Milan closed out the game from the line. Trevor Lacey paced Sassari with 15 points, Lawal scored 13 and Rok Stipcevic 11.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milano vs. Banco di Sardegna Sassari
