San Raffaele Women 62-75 Empoli Women: Visitors Dominate on the Road in Italy Women A2

Empoli Women delivered a statement road performance in Italy's Women A2, defeating San Raffaele Women 75-62 on Sunday. A commanding second quarter and a consistently efficient offensive night carried Empoli to a 13-point win that was built on balance, pace and better shot selection than their hosts managed across the four quarters.

For San Raffaele, it was a case of effort without enough execution — a slow second period left them chasing the game, and although they rallied intermittently, they never got the deficit back into genuinely uncomfortable territory for the visitors.

Match Overview

• Final score: San Raffaele Women 62, Empoli Women 75
• Competition: Italy Women A2
• Venue: San Raffaele (home court)
• Date: 4 October 2026

The quarter breakdown — 16-19, 14-20, 17-18, 15-18 — reveals how little the visitors allowed their hosts to breathe. Empoli won every single period, a rarity at this level and a strong indicator of how consistently they controlled tempo, rebounding and shot quality.

First Half: Empoli Take Control

San Raffaele started brightly enough, matching Empoli basket for basket through the opening minutes with some well-worked half-court sets and a willingness to attack the offensive glass. But the visitors' perimeter shooting soon opened up the floor, and a 19-16 first quarter gave them a lead they would never surrender.

The second period was where the game tilted decisively. Empoli's defense tightened, trapping on the wings and forcing San Raffaele into rushed attempts late in the shot clock. Offensively, the visitors pushed in transition whenever the opportunity appeared, rattling off a 20-14 quarter that pushed the margin into double digits by halftime.

Second Half: Professional Control

To San Raffaele's credit, they came out of the locker room with more purpose. Their guards attacked the paint more directly and their interior players fought for position, producing a 17-point third quarter — their joint-best of the night. But Empoli answered every mini-run with composed, patient offense, matching that 17 with 18 of their own.

The final period followed the same pattern. San Raffaele's effort never dropped, but Empoli's efficiency did not either, and a 15-18 fourth quarter sealed a deserved road victory.

Tactical Story

Three factors shaped the result:

• Transition defense: San Raffaele struggled to get back and set their defense, and Empoli punished them repeatedly in the open floor.
• Three-point shooting: The visitors' ability to stretch the floor opened driving lanes and created second-chance opportunities around the rim.
• Bench production: Empoli's rotation players maintained the level of the starters, while San Raffaele's output dropped noticeably when substitutions came.

San Raffaele's half-court offense showed flashes of quality — good ball movement and a couple of nicely designed out-of-bounds plays — but it was too often a single action followed by a difficult shot. Against a defense as organized as Empoli's, that is a hard way to score 70-plus points.

Standout Performers

Empoli's backcourt dictated the rhythm of the game, combining smart decision-making in pick-and-roll situations with timely shot-making. Their forwards worked hard on the boards and finished efficiently in the paint, ensuring the offense never became one-dimensional.

For San Raffaele Women, the standout contributions came from their perimeter scorers, who kept the scoreboard moving during the tougher stretches, and from the team's overall resilience — they kept competing deep into the fourth quarter despite the scoreline.

Season Impact and What's Next

Road wins in Women A2 are valuable currency. This result gives Empoli Women momentum and a healthy points differential that can matter when the standings tighten later in the season. Winning all four quarters away from home sends a clear message about their promotion ambitions.

San Raffaele Women, meanwhile, will focus on the areas that hurt them most: transition defense, rebounding discipline and generating easier shots in the half-court. The talent is clearly there — the challenge is sustaining it for 40 minutes against the division's stronger sides.

Both teams move on to their next fixtures, with Empoli looking to build a winning run and San Raffaele determined to turn home-court advantage into results.