Dinamo played well, but only in fits and starts, and it wasn't enough to avoid defeat in Turkey: 82-70 for Aliaga Petkimspor. The hosts qualified for the next round of the Europa Cup, while the Sassari team bowed out with two games to spare and can now focus on the league. Worth noting was Buie's improvement, with a resurgent Pullen (17 points), while Thomas (12 points, but 10 in the first quarter) and McGlynn, who finished with 10 points, were inconsistent.
Good news in the starting five: Buie, who is feeling better as shown by his points and assists, Johnson, who is still behind in terms of condition, plus Ceron (very motivated), Mc Glynn and an on-fire Thomas who closes the first quarter with 10 points, dragging Dinamo forward who remains in the lead even if they cannot escape: +5.
Zanelli and Mezzanotte also entered the game at the start of the second quarter (and Mrsic already had ten players in play). The Sassari team jumped to a seven-point lead with an assist from a lively Pullen for McGlynn, who dunked: 22-29 in the 12th minute. A few trivial errors on offense and defense allowed the Turks to come back and overtake with former player Whittaker and Franke: 45-41 in the 19th minute. Aliaga Petkimspor also went seven points up, but Vincini and Visconti fought back to get the game back to 52-50 in the 24th minute. The Turks punished their mistakes, and a fiery Whittaker also opened the gap: 60-50 in the 27th minute. Sassari was stunned and ended up 13 points behind.
In the final quarter, the bench lineup ignited and closed to within one with two free throws from Ceron in the 33rd minute. Buie returned and assisted McGlynn to tie the score: 67-67 in the 34th minute. Whittaker again led the home team to a new lead: 75-67 in the 37th minute. And when Brown hit a three-pointer to make it 11-0, it became clear the game was over.