Dinamo Sassari and Olimpia Milano will compete for the final victory in the 13th City of Cagliari International Tournament (today, 8.30 pm). Despite 4 players out, between commitments at the World Cup and physical ailments (Bendzius, Tyree, Charalampopulos and Cappelletti), the blue and whites beat Red Star Belgrade at the PalaPirastu (76-71 final) and earn the match against the "Scarpette Rosse" of Ettore Messina, in turn victorious over the French team Asvel Lyon-Villeurbanne (95-78).

The match. The absences limit Bucchi's rotations, but Dinamo's attitude is the right one from the very beginning, with Diop giving the first lead to 21-10 in the first quarter. The Red Star (without the star Teodosic, who remained in Belgrade as a precaution, and 4 other elements struggling with the world championship in Manila) plays with low gears: Napier doesn't get going, then the Lithuanian Giedraitis takes care of lightening the deficit at the break long at 21-16.

In the second quarter the Serbs seemed to be able to gain the upper hand thanks to their greater physicality and longer rotations. Dinamo suffers and is seen recovering to -2, but then gets back on track thanks to a providential Kruslin, author of the three-point play that ensures his team the advantage at the long break (37-28).

In the second half the plot does not change: the defensive specialist Hanga leads the charge for Red Star, who attempts a new assault. Banco di Sardegna, however, was not up for it: Diop and Kruslin, well triggered by the American point guard Whittaker and captain Gentile, responded blow for blow with character, defending their lead even at the last mini-interval (54-49).

In the final 10 minutes the protagonist becomes Treier, who repeatedly pierces the Serbian defense from the arc and gives his team a prestigious success. Despite the absences, Dinamo is there and gives the Cagliari public a demonstration of great character.

The comment. «Winning against a Euroleague team is always a great satisfaction», comments coach Piero Bucchi", «all the boys who took to the pitch gave their all. The performance was excellent. There is still a lot of work to do and many they are also the players that need to be recovered, but I am happy for the effort and the willingness to help each other and share the ball."

The other semi-final. In the first match of the "City of Cagliari" everything was easy for Olimpia Milano, who dominated against the French team Asvel. In the first half, the Milanese showcased the newcomer Poythress, formerly of Maccabi, who scored 16 points and guaranteed a good lead at the long break (52-39). In the second half, however, Shields takes center stage, a star performer in the break who finally breaks the resistance of the Transalpine team.

The finals will be on Sunday: at 6pm Asvel and Stella Rossa will compete for third place, while at 8.30pm Sassari and Milan will be on the pitch.

Dinamo Sassari-Stella Rossa Belgrade 76-71 (21-16 / 37-28 / 54-49)

Dinamo Sassari: Pisano 3, Treier 19, Dore ne, Kruslin 11, Whittaker 6, Raspino 2, Gandini, Gentile 13, Diop 14, Gombauld 8. Coach Bucchi

Red Star Belgrade: Hanga 15, Mitrovic 10, Lazic 6, Napier 4, Bolomboy 3, Ilic 4, Nedovic 13, Giedraitis 12, Kuzmic 4, Karapandzic ne. Coach Ivanovic

Parties : 21-16; 37-28; 54-49

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