Olimpia started the game slowly, then Stefano Tonut took over. With steals, fastbreak opportunities, a three and generally a lot of energy, he scored 16 points and allowed Olimpia to turn a 10-point deficit, early in the second, in a commanding 79-68 win over previously undefeated Reggio Emilia. “We stuttered early on, we had 10 turnovers in the first quarter alone, but we got loose and we played well the rest of the way. We scored 70 points over the last three periods, we had 25 assists, only six turnovers. Tonut was crucial during the comeback,” Coach Ettore Messina said. When Olimpia rallied, Ismael Kamagate showed a lot of energy inside. Alex Poythress scored 14 points, 5-for-5 from the field, in the second half. He and Kevin Pangos, who made also a huge three from almost 10 meters, kept Reggio Emilia at a distance.

Olimpia used a big lineup the entire game. “We used one more big, because so far our best game was played in Istanbul and we had Nikola Mirotic at the 3 to create mismatch opportunities inside. In the Italian league a couple of games we had a smaller lineup. Maybe I will keep the big lineup in the Italian league too. Obviously, we had to adapt to Mirotic presence. He and the point-men, he and Shavon Shields, he and the centers. Let’s see and keep working,” Messina added.