Piero Bucchi bluntly after the knockout: “We need to work.”
Universo Treviso – Dinamo Sassari 79-71
An under-par Dinamo gives way to Treviso, which takes its first win of the season, winning 79-71 thanks to 29 points from a terrific Adrian Banks. Sassari too much in the doldrums came back with two triples by Kruslin in the final, but it was a Zanelli bomb that forced Banco to its 2nd loss of the season in 3 games. 16-point debut with 3/7 3-pointers for Nikolic.
Dinamo fails to make an impact in the 1st quarter, Nicola’s team starts much better and immediately flies 7-2, Sassari struggles on offense, struggling Onuaku and Bendzius against the energy of Cooke and Jantunen, Banco shoots poorly from two-point range, tries to stay in touch, but offensive rebounds allow Treviso to close ahead 20-17 at 10′.
At the beginning of the 2nd quarter Dinamo’s prettiest face with Diop and Chessa as protagonists, Nikolic has great impact on his debut (10 points with 2/3 3-pointers at 20′), Sassari squares a 17-7 break up to 35-27 then it’s just Treviso, which overturns like a glove the inertia of the match. Sorokas is decisive with 5 consecutive points, Banks capitalizes on offense, Bucchi’s team in obvious difficulty takes a heavy 12-0 partial (39-35) with the home team managing to close ahead at halftime on 41-37.
3rd quarter with Dinamo still good at trying to reverse the inertia of the match but discontinuous despite Nicola’s team not scoring for over 4 minutes. Banco pays for lost balls and second chances given to Treviso. In Banco’s best moment, Banks takes his team by the hand and lights up, two consecutive triples turn the score around (the Veneti had scored 2 points in 6 minutes), Treviso’s counterbreak goes back ahead and holds the lead at 30′ (53-52).
Dinamo struggles terribly to attack, Onuaku is completely out of the match, Sorokas does a lot of harm as a tactical number 5, Treviso’s guys’ energy, experience and Banks’ crystalline talent make the difference: the American guard’s penetration brings the Veneti up 68-59 (37′). Two consecutive triples by Filip Kruslin completely reopen the game (68-65), but it’s a flash in the pan, the Banco concedes naive fouls on Banks’ pick and roll, who always capitalizes from the lunette. Bucchi launches Diop for the last three minutes, who misses two baskets from underneath for possible 3-point plays, rifles two stoppages, but Zanelli’s carom bomb closes the contest for good. Treviso takes home the win with merit 79-71.
At the end of the game, the Sardinians’ coach Piero Bucchi commented bitterly in a press conference on the defeat that accrued on Venetian soil.
“We have to be able to find continuity, which is fundamental at this level to win on the road, not only in the game but also in training. It is too important not to have ‘holes’ during the match. At the end we managed to come back with Kruslin’s two bombs, but it’s too little to be able to snatch success. We have to go back to the gym and work,” the coach concluded.
