Pallacanestro Trieste Falls in Italian Cup, Coach Taccetti Sees Future Growth
Milano defeated Pallacanestro Trieste 94-86 in the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup on Tuesday, February 18, 2026, extending Trieste’s search for a championship title. Despite the loss, new head coach Francesco Taccetti expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance and attitude.
The match, played at the Inalpi Arena, saw Milano leverage its roster depth and experience on the European stage, but Trieste remained competitive for much of the game. The absence of Colbey Ross, sidelined with a calf injury sustained against Napoli, proved a significant challenge for Trieste’s game plan, which relies on pace and transition play. “In our game plan, trying to run and take advantage of our speed, we definitely missed Ross,” Taccetti said, as reported by ilpiccolo.it. “But well done guys as, even when the game seemed over, we managed to keep it alive.”
A key factor in the defeat was Milano’s dominance in rebounding, securing 19 offensive rebounds compared to Trieste’s fewer. Taccetti acknowledged this as a recurring issue for his team. “It’s not the first time this has happened to us,” he stated. “We suffered, suffering their physicality and from this point of view we were not up to par. What we have is the aspect we need to work on: our players are still a bit naive, we get pushed under the basket before the shot goes off and we are in the wrong position. It’s not just a question of aggressiveness, but a technical aspect on which we have ample room for improvement.”
Ramsey led Trieste in scoring with 27 points, even as Uthoff added 16. However, Markel Brown’s ejection in the fourth quarter after receiving an unsportsmanlike foul hampered Trieste’s comeback efforts. The team struggled with turnovers and maintaining control of the game’s tempo, according to rainews.it.
Taccetti, who recently took over coaching duties, emphasized the need for continued adaptation and refinement of the team’s offensive strategy. “We have changed very little in recent days,” he explained. “The idea is to prepare a match plan by adapting the attack to the opposing defenses. Against Milan we wanted to run, we are a team that wants to attack knowing where to go.” He also highlighted Ramsey’s growing importance as an offensive force, while urging him to contribute more on the defensive end.
Trieste now faces a break of over two weeks before its next official commitment. The team will use this time to recover Ross, who was deemed too close to the injury to risk playing against Milano, and to further develop team cohesion. Upcoming challenges include an away game against Reggio Emilia and a Basketball Champions League (BCL) match against Nymburk in Prague. The focus will be on translating the positive attitude displayed in the Italian Cup into consistent performance throughout the remainder of the season.