Playing on short rest, after a seven-day trip, in its fourth road game during the same stint, Olimpia achieved a come from behind win 76-72 in Sassari. Dinamo led by as many as nine points early in the first period but again by seven in the fourth. When Pippo Ricci responded right away with a three, Olimpia was in contention and finished the game strong at both ends of the floor. Down by one, Marko Guduric made a huge three and when Rashwn Thomas tied the game at 72, Quinn Ellis with a great left side drive gave Olimpia the lead for good. Diego Flaccadori intercepted an inbound pass and the game was pretty much over. For Flaccadori, that was a huge game: “It doesn’t matter if he played two minutes, didn’t play at all, or when he has to play, he is ready. When he was on the court, we outscored Sassari by ten points,” Coach Messina said at the end. Flaccadori was all over the floor, tied the game from the line, stole a ball, he had a great fourth quarter.

Another great game came from Devin Booker. “His presence was a monumental one,” Coach Messina pointing out at his impact at both ends of the court. Booker finished with 19 points, stayed on the floor with foul trouble especially in the second half. But he made the crucial field goals, he made his free throws, clogged the middle defensively. And Pippo Ricci, two days after his impressive 5-for-5 from three game in Kaunas, had 12 more points and added eight rebounds. “I think we started slow somehow – Messina remarked – It is never easy to play on short rest especially from a mental standpoints. In the second half we were much better at moving the ball and we raised our defensive level. They key was limiting the switches in the fourth quarter avoiding their threes. We were a little bit sharper offensively too.” Ousmane Diop, on his old stomping ground of Sassari, was efficient especially in the first half playing again out of position at power forward. He even made a corner three.