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Defenses could be the key to victory here

Both teams are in very good shape and we could see a tough game with low scoring today

Cantu are returning empty-handed from yet another away match, and now have a score of 4-2, ranked fifth. Their series of seven consecutive victories ended vs Cremona.

The home team played the first half almost perfectly on the offense (11/19 for two, 11/17 for three points). They scored 64 points by halftime already, while Cantu lagged behind at 45. Cantu managed to edge closer in the second part, up to -11, but slid back to -25 again. They did not give up hope and once again reached -11, and a basket plus a free throw for Jenkins got them to within -2. Cremona were on the edge of collapse, but they managed to pull themselves together and send Cantu packing with a loss after a 5-0 series.

Jenkins ended the game at 26 points and 6 rebounds, Uter added 15 points and 6 rebounds, Aradori 14 points and 5 assists, while Ragland, their best player up to now, failed to perform adequately.

While they are struggling in championship away games, they are still dominating in the Eurocup. Although they were facing a tough away game vs Artland, and the score of 5-0 relieved them of any imperative to win, they still managed to improve their score. They completely dominated the German representative, beating them 81-68 in the end and making a big step towards securing Top 32. Aradori played a great game, scoring 29 points, with 7/9 for three points. Ragland added 13 points.

-We played a great game. We started of less than well, but improved our defense later on and took control of the game. This was a test of character for the team after losing to Cremona - said coach Sacripanti, announcing the Siena game:

-This is the first time we're meeting a team that are more powerful than us physically. They are playing great defense, defending with all five players and not allowing easy baskets and penetration. We have to play this well both  tactically and technically in order to stop them.

Siena are still effortlessly stringing championship victories. They booked their fourth consecutive win vs Montegranaro, and have a perfect 4/4 score in their home arena. They are the current leader of the league with a 5-1score, and are particularly impressive in their home court. Theirs is also the best defense of the league, next to Reggiana, allowing only 68.3 points on average per game. Montegranaro certainly felt this.

They once again demonstrated how dangerous they are at the very outset of the game, leading 30-15 after the first quarter. Siena continued to play great in the following periods as well, leading by as much as +21 at one moment. In the second half they eased down on the aggressive defense somewhat, which Montegranaro used to reach only -6 before entering the last period.

However, Siena did not allow things to get complicated and promptly returned the score to +13, calmly closing the game. They once again struggled with rebounding (31-40), with the return of their primary center Nelson still not in sight. Hackett played another top level game (14pts,8rbs,4ass), Viggiano confirmed his form with 17 points, and Carter added 14 more.

On Thursday they played a difficult away game in Istanbul where they were chasing their second consecutive victory in the Euroleague, but ended up 2 points short, as the score was 54-52 in the end. An extremely tough game, in which solid defenses dominated. The biggest lead for Siena was after 27 minutes, when they led 35-28, but their opponents then scored 9 consecutive points. Yet the game was not decided until the last minute, and Siena lost their victory in the final moments. Hackett was their best individual player with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

-With Cantu everything starts on defense, with their perimeter positions and the quality of Leunen, Cusin and Uter under the rim being the basis of their offense. Our goal is to play smart offense, pass the ball well and be aggressive at all times - commented coach Crespi.

Siena's defense will definitely try to stop Ragland and Aradori, so we might once again see a very tough game, as we have last year.

Cantu and Siena are playing a great derby today and this alone is a reason enough for high intensity game. The home team are facing tough task against the second best defense in the league that concedes only 68,3 points on average. Siena's great defensive potential must come to fruition today. On the other hand, Cantue are very strong in offense but they have shown that they adapt to the style of their opponents. They usually play tough games with less points against defensively stronger teams. Their defense is improving, and apart from their "crazy" game against Cremona, they limit their opponents to 75 points. Their head-to-heads from last year show what type of game we will see as they all ended at 139, 121, 153. Taking all this into consideration, the margin is definitely too high.