Roman called time at 33.1 and devised a good plan for a quick basket. Off a sidecourt inbound play, Steve Brodzinski threaded a pass to a breaking Huggins. His twisting, bad-angle layup missed and Neumann rebounded. The Buccos never did get off a last shot. Fletcher nailed a double bonus at 17.9 to provide comfort at 56-52.
Roman is the two-time defending league champ.
Neumann, a 58-55 loser in last year's title game, is this season's favorite. People are making a big deal out of this. This is the third year in a row we've beaten Roman in the first meeting. Doesn't mean a damn thing. They got two championships.