Playing every other day, the night started with some stuttering, but Olimpia was sustained by its Captain Nicolò Melli who was the only one who seemed unaware to play his fourth game in seven nights. He hit the ground running scoring 13 first half points including a buzzer beating three to retake the lead at the half. The second part of the game was different. Olimpia spaced the floor batter and shot well from the perimeter hitting 12 threes at the end of the night. That was huge to defeat Alba 82-76. Melli finished with 16 points, four rebounds and a thunderous block on Yann Wetzell that essentially closed the game for good. “He sustained us from tip-off and through the end of the game. he was amazing,” Coach Ettore Messina said.

Olimpia scored 45 points in the second half, although all the attempts to get away were cancelled somehow by Alba hot shooting and depth. The Berlin team even built a five-point lead in the third quarter. Olimpia used the extension of his bench to stay there. Diego Flaccadori, held scoreless in the first half, had 11 third quarter points. He scored the last mid-range jumper that kept Olimpia up by two after three periods.

In the fourth the team exchanged field goals for a while. There was a nice due between Gabriele Procida on one side and Giordano Bortolani on the other. The Olimpia’s young rising player had the last laugh finishing with 12 points and again some clutch shooting during the stretch. Up by five, Thiemann made a three, Bortolani responded. Sterling Brown made one. Devon Hall responded. Hall was everywhere on the floor, offensively (14 points, 5-for-6 from the field) and defensively (three steals). He was huge at the end. Then again up by three because Alba didn’t go away, Flaccadori completed a huge second half by converting a three-point play with 37 seconds left in the game. Finally, Melli made his huge block to close the game off. “Hall was sensational – Messina added – He is benefitting by playing next to two ball handlers, Napier and Flaccadori, and also Bortolani who is capable to create off the dribble. So, he can concentrate on what he does best and shoot with more time.”