Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia wins 2014 FIBA Eurochallenge

The great return of Italy in European Basketball is now reality. Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia won 2014 FIBA Eurochallenge, defeating Russian Triumph Ljubertsy Moscow 79-65 in front of a red PalaDozza.

TURNING POINT: The opening minutes of the big final witnessed four lead changes and saw the scores tied on five occasions until Reggio Emiia went ahead 16-14 on an Andrea Cinciarini lay-up 2:02 from the end of the first quarter. The Italians built a seven-point lead, 23-16, in the remainder of the first period, and never looked back.

GAME HERO: James White spearheaded the charge of the relentless Reggio Emilia troops on Sunday as he delivered a monumental defensive display and still had enough ideas and energy on the offensive floor to collect 17 points on 5-of-8 from the floor, also adding four rebounds and two assists.

STATS DON'T LIE: Reggio Emilia scored 16 points on the fast break and also punished almost every Triumph turnover as they scored 12 points off of them. The Russian side only added two points to their tally after a Reggio turnover. Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia stormed past Triumph Lyubertsy in the EuroChallenge 2014 final in Bologna to register a 79-65 triumph and conquer their first trophy in the history of the club, outside the Italian second division. The 14-point differential constitutes the second biggest winning margin in a EuroChallenge final since 2006, when Joventut Badalona of Rudy Fernandez enjoyed an 88-63 rout of Khimki Moscow Region to lift the title. Reggio's win on Sunday came in such emphatic fashion that a sizeable portion of the Reggio Emilia faithful in the PalaDozza arena stands had already erupted in jubilation midway through the third quarter. The opening minutes of the title game, however, were the only time during the entire Final Four weekend in Bologna that the hosts showed any signs of weakness. Once Andrea Cinciarini however pulled the hosts ahead 16-14, their defensive intensity, the will to hassle for every loose ball and contest every opponent's shot appeared to switch up a gear. Triumph had gone eight minutes without scoring a basket from the floor and misfired on nine consecutive attempts by the time Milovan Rakovic posted up and reduced to 25-18, with 8:12 remaining in the second quarter. But as Troy Bell poured seven points in quick succession and Ariel Filloy hit a long jumper 2:48 from the half-time buzzer to cap off the 9-0 run, Reggio Emilia's lead ballooned to 44-24, the biggest gap during the first half. As Reggio went into the interval leading 48-32, it was evident to anyone at the PalaDozza that it would take a comeback effort of colossal proportions for Triumph to snatch this trophy away from Italy. It was a high order and one that Triumph could never realistically accomplish since Rakovic and Cory Higgins, who combined for 41 points on Sunday, continued to pose the only credible threats to the Reggio Emilia basket until that point. 20. Andrea Cinciarini (Reggio Emilia) Andrea Cinciarini was named Final Four MVP The hosts continued to defend with their intensity levels intact and look to make the most of every half-chance to run in the open court, until Cinciarini drove to the basket, made the lay-up and drew the foul, midway through the third frame. The EuroChallenge Final Four MVP converted the three-point play and restored Reggio's 21-point lead, 62-41, with 5:06 remaining to the end of the period. Reggio finally could take a breath, exchange bursts of relentless energy for glances at the clock and long, patient possessions. The hosts slowing down allowed Triumph to reduce momentarily to 12 points, 73-61, on an Artem Vikhrov jumper 2:42 from the final buzzer, but by then the party in Bologna and in Reggio Emilia was already well under way. White finished with 17 points, Kaukenas added 15 and Bell picked up 14 points as the three players on the very balanced Reggio offence to score in double digits. Higgins picked up a game-high 21 points and Rakovic had 20 points for Triumph in defeat.

Andrea Cinciarini named Most Valuable Player for the Final Four

Congratulations to @cincia20 on being named 2014 #EuroChallenge #FinalFour MVP! @PallacReggiana

— FIBA Europe (@FIBAEurope) 27 Aprile 2014

#EuroChallenge @PallacReggiana clinch a maiden European title with a 79-65 win over @BC_Triumph. Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/zNvEMGuxv5

— FIBA Europe (@FIBAEurope) 27 Aprile 2014