Olimpia hit the ground running in the new season. In Vigevano, Tortona was defeated 96-86, leading
from wire-to-wire after scoring 35 points in a surreal first period, with great ball circulation, a lot of open shots, high shooting percentages and solid defense. Obviously, it couldn’t last because Tortona improved, the legs got tired, the rotation was furious and foul troubles plagued the guards, starting with Kevin Pangos. But in the end, there were a lot of good stuff for a first outing. Giordano Bortolani, who was in foul trouble all night long, scored 10 points in an offensive first half gem, and when Tortona shrank the margin to a single point in the third quarter, Flaccadori hit two jumpers that helped Olimpia
retake a solid lead.

Obviously, all the eyes were on Nikola Mirotic. His first basket was a fastbreak drive, but he also made three threes and converted two three-point plays on his way to score 22 points. He played several minutes at the 3-spot including the final stretch. Shavon Shields added 24 points, playing both at the shooting guard and the small forward positions. He used his one on one skills to score at will. Finally, Alex Poythress set the tone early in the game with his energy and finished with a 20-point effort. Olimpia even rode his low-post game at the end. He developed confidence and even made a three. Flaccadori also scored in double-digit. In the first half, he was good at taking advantage of Tortona’s foul trouble to get to the line consistently. He made seven out of eight attempts.

Olimpia will return on the court over the week-end in Cagliari where it will face Asvel Villeurbanne in the first tournament game.