The semifinal series started on a bad note. Sassari won 86-79 in Milan and now is leading the series 1-0, with game 2 scheduled to be played on Friday night, again in Milan. It’s the same old story: Olimpia lost game 1 at home in the quarterfinals against Avellino, in last season semifinal against Brescia and two more times in its playoffs’ story against Sassari. Olimpia paid a heavy price for shooting 4 for 16 from two in the first half. It improved significantly in the second half, but had to play catch-up. When Olimpia regained the lead in a specatacular third quarter, Sassari found its hero in Stefano Gentile, who made three clutch threes on his way to score 26 points over 24 minutes of action. Olimpia made a promising 43% of its three-pointers, while Sassari clogged the middle, made scoring in the lane complicated by bodies, flying arms and – yes – no calls. Olimpia went to the line just seven times and scored from the stripe eight less points than Sassari, who won by seven. Seven free throws is a new season-low for Olimpia, a team that averaged almost 22 free throws per game during the EuroLeague season. Mike James who led the EuroLeague in free throws made and attempted never went to the line. Fouls had a big impact on the game, with Jeff Brooks basically eliminated early in the first with two fouls and again in the third when his battles with Rashawn Thomas went the other way. With Brooks sitting, Thomas exploded. Still, Olimpia had many opportunities to come back and possibly win, but missed too many easy and open shots, allowed a couple of critical offensive rebounds and again was unable to make enought stops down the stretch, when the team was in the enalty and Sassari made the crucial free throws.