Leandro Bolmaro, wearing a protective mask, returned. Shavon Shields, with severe minute restriction, came back and definitely helped. So, Olimpia took the win in Casale Monferrato, home of Derthona Basket, 85-68, never trailed and was overall in control of the operations. Olimpia defended well for the entire night, led by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter, and shared minutes, responsibility and spotlights across the roster. Nico Mannion set the tone early, Ousmane Diop was physical and efficient inside and during the second half Shields and Nikola Mirotic, who shot 4-for-5 on threes, came up and kept Derthona at distance. Olimpia shot 2-for-12 from three in the first half but made 7-for-16 in the second, controlled the boards (Armoni Brooks in a off night shooting was all over the floor, had four assists and six rebounds, leading the team in the latter category) and took care of the ball. “It is never easy to win this way here against a very motivated team, looking to clinch a spot in the playoffs. It was a step up for us,” Coach Ettore Messina said.