A spectacular first half, with a defensive gem, allowed Olimpia to defeat Venezia and clinched a berth for the Supercup final on Sunday. Olimpia built a 23-point lead early in the third, after a 43-23 first half, then struggled to score, went 0-for-8 from three in the second half (Venezia was kept with no threes in the first), but relied on its defense to push Reyer back and closed the game 76-67. Malcolm Delaney had an impressive all-around game, scoring 19 points, he was fouled 10 times, added six assists and four steals with just one turnover. Olimpia outrebounded Venezia 42-35, offensive rebounding was a factor (18) and the team combined to make 27 free throws. The defense, who overcame Venezia in the first half, allowed Olimpia to stay in control when the opponent attempted a furious rally. Coach Ettore Messina even implemented a three-point man lineup at one juncture late in the game. “I’m glad, I think we had a high-quality first half, then our arms were a little shy in the second half, but the defense kept us in control, basically we always had a double-digit lead. The defense we’d like it to be our main charcateristics this season,” Coach Messina said at the end. Olimpia went ice-cold from three in the second half, collectively the team shot 5-for-21 for the game, but the defense had 14 steals. Delaney and Kevin Punter had 4 each. That was the key.