Ragusa's Virtus Lose Season Opener 75-63 at Catanzaro After Second-Half Collapse

Academy Catanzaro 75, Virtus Ragusa 63. The first defeat of the season for Gianni Recupido's new side was registered on 4 October 2026 in Calabria, and it came in what was also Ragusa's opening outing of the Serie B Interregionale campaign, the scheduled first fixture against Marigliano having been postponed. The club, billed in Sicilian coverage under the sponsor name SuperConveniente Ragusa, had no answer to the home side after the interval.

Little in the opening two quarters hinted at that. Ragusa, solid on both sides of the court and finding contributions from a range of players, broke clear to a lead of eleven points. Recupido's starting five was described in Sicilian reports as a “quintettone”, with Fabi at “3” and Porcu at “4”. Catanzaro began aggressively, Sakalas prominent from the outset as the hosts moved 5-0 ahead; Ragusa's first basket came only after almost three minutes, a Porcu three-pointer at a stage when a couple of fouls were already weighing on him. The contest, one Sicilian account observed, was enjoyable and balanced while it lasted.

Then it turned. Catanzaro's defensive intensity and variety in attack pulled the game back, and the hosts went on to claim the two points. For Sabbatino's team it was a second victory of the season, following their success at Messina against Basket School.

Ragusa thus open a campaign already shortened by a postponement with a loss, against opponents who have started with two wins. The accounts available do not set out the wider standings or either club's next fixture, so the immediate competitive consequences beyond the result itself cannot be stated.