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Caserta coach: We must play good defense

Pesaro surprised against Avellino in the first round and now they play their first match on home ground. Caserta showed that they signed excellent Americans who know how to play defense but are also powerful in the offense

Pesaro arrived to Avellino as a big underdog but the final result was to their benefit. They opened the game well and lead 16-5, but by half-time Avellino managed to reduce the lead to just two points. In the second half the hosts woke up and took the lead but the guests didn't surrender and won the last quarter in a tight finish. Coach Dell Agnello stated:

- When you're the underdog and achieve the win then your joy is that much greater. I am glad that we didn't lose our heads when Avellino came closer and took the lead. We played with a lot of energy for the full 40 minutes and we were successful at compensating the lack of height under the hoop. This win is important for more self-confidence.

They imposed themselves with rebounds (36-24) and this was decisive although they had more turnovers. Power forward Trasolini lead the team with 18 points while guards Musso and Turner added 16. Young added 10 points from the bench while Oberah and Amici did a lot of work with 9 and 7 rebounds respectively.

- Caserta are a different team that Avellino, they are stronger physically and they play good defense so we are in for a different game - Dell Agnello concluded.

Caserta opened their season in the best way possible with a win against favorites Venezia, 84-65. They completely outplayed their opponents, mostly due to their excellent defense which is their hallmark. They controlled the result throughout the match and they had a commanding 45-27 lead at half time.

Young shooting guard Vitali stated that they will work harder and improve:

- Looking at the preseason and the first games, we improved greatly which was evident against Venezia where we played excellent defense and with the right rhythm in the offense. Despite the win we must still work on our play and reduce some of the errors we had against Venezia.

The Americans completely dominated the game so the best player was the center Moore with 17 points and 7 balls caught. Shooting guard Roberts finished the game with 15 points, Scott added 13 from the bench, Brooks 10 and Hannah 8, with 6 assists. Young Vitalli justified the coach's confidence and scored 11 points. Coach Molin announced the game against Pesaro.

- The win against Venezia is very important because we got a lot of self-confidence and a young team always need a good start. Pesaro are a humble team and the guys give their all. That is what earned them the win against Avellino in a game where no one gave them any chances. They have young talents lead by the experienced Young. We have to play our own game, attack fast and play good defense like we did in the first game.

If Caserta repeat their defensive performance from the last round, Pesaro could be in trouble. Caserta is dominant under the hoop with Moore and if their Americans continue like they played against Venezia than Caserta will have more chances for the win.

Although Pesaro surprised Avellino in the first round, they didn't impress me one bit. Avellino played a very bad match, their defense was non-existent, and they lost the rebound battle with Pesaro's not that tall line. Musso, Turner and Young are Pesaro's biggest guns, while the solid Teasoli and Oberah are under the hoop. Today they're up for a very difficult task because they will be hosting the defensively strong Caserta who left Venezia in the first round at 65 points. They are a team in which everyone is playing aggressive defense and don't allow their opponent one bit of space. It's against Pesaro's best players that we will see three Caserta's best players: Hannah, Roberts and Moore. They've shown in the first round that defense is number one for them, and only after that do they focus on the offense. When you add Brooks to them, who last year played great defense in Cantuo, then it's clear that Pesaro will have a hard time scoring more than 78 shots.