The good vibes coming from the Supercup triumph came to an abrupt end in Trieste in a 84-78 loss. Olimpia knew very well how much they need to work to realistically be where everybody wants to be and Trieste proved the feeling correct. “We were just mediocre, we could dictate the tempo, we didn’t share the ball enough, we had costly turnovers. However we need to give credit to Trieste because they played a great game, with a lot of hurt, quickness but also good basketball plays. They passed the ball, they shot well,” Coach Ettore Messina said.
Olimpia started the game slow, went down 9-2, but gradually came back and took the lead, 22-21, at the end of the first off a Zach LeDay’s put back. The margin topped five points early in the second quarter with Dimitrijevic as a facilitator and Bolmaro making plays inside with his combination of size and athleticism. “That was when we had some control – Messina pointed out – but some turnovers made them comeback quicky and then they never reliquinshed the lead.” Trieste was able to build a seven-point at the half. In the second half Olimpia attempted to stage a come back several times, but never got closer than five points. Trieste played with energy and sharpness. “Their perimeter players scored 59 points and hurt us big time,” Messina remarked. That was so true. Markel Brown had a huge first quarter, scoring 10 points; Colbey Ross had a 14-point second quarter; Denzel Valentine was always there. Olimpia controlled the boards pretty much all game, but never had consistency. A couple of plays made by Ruzzier and Candussi proved to be key. Jeff Brooks was the main man down the stretch. He made a couple of huge shots, including a three, closing the game 6-for-6 from the field.
Nikola Mirotic had a double double in the end, and also three steals, but was caught some times at dribbling in traffic and Trieste took advantage of that clogging the middle. Neno DImitrijevic, coming off an MVP performance in the Supercup, dished seven assists but struggled in finding his niche. Trieste clogged the lane to prevent Josh Nebo from taking off inside so the best runs came for Olimpia with Zach LeDay at the 5. He was clearly the most effective player of the second half, finishing the game with 18 points over 23 minutes, despite missing uncharacteristically three free throws out of ten attempts. He grabbed seven rebounds, too.
