A 23-6 first quarter set the tone early for Olimpia and the game against Verona was never in doubt. Any time Verona tried to attempt a comeback, Olimpia responded on its way to a 78-54 win. It was never very brilliant offensively, both at shooting the ball and taking good care of the ball, but the defense stepped up repeatedly and that was enough. Deshaun Thomas was instrumental early in the game, Nicolò Melli was devastating in the third quarter when he made two threes in a row, then a three-point play extending the lead to 20 points. In the fourth quarter, Coach Messina was able to use the extension of the roster and the lead basically stayed the same. “We took a step up in establishing our defensive identity – Coach Messina said at the end – Offensively, we are still a little tentative, we think too much about passing or shooting or whatever. Kevin Pangos is coming off a one-year hiatus for whetever reason, we need to be patient. He was great in the EuroLeague when we won in Belgrade and Munich, but he is still rusty, doesn’t have the legs to shoot the three or to finish a drive. He will get there. That Naz Mitrou-Long got injured at the same time didn’t help. The good news is that both him and Baldasso are back and healthy. We need time. Devon Hall has been playing out of position and missed his customary offensive production. Everbody is doing good things and then bad ones. We’ll be there.”