The Taliercio remains cursed. Reyer prevails 82-79 with Banco unable to complete the comeback. One to zero for Venice and on Monday the Taliercio is still playing for the second match of the quarter-finals.
Bucchi's team will have to play better if they want to win, above all they will have to shoot better: just 4/19 from three, against the home team's 10/20.
The record. Dowe with 6 points (4/4 free throws) pushes Banco at the start: +6 with central entry by Bendzius, 4-10 in the 4th minute and first time out by Spahija. Watt raises his voice inside the area and reduces the gap (16-17 in the 7th minute) but Robinson's entry is a whip in the match: 9 points which are also the maximum advantage of the first quarter, 20-29.
At the opening of the second quarter, Sassari reaches +12 with two free throws by Gentile, but a triple by the former Spissu shakes Venice which, with a break of 14-0 (Watt truly unstoppable), overturns the inertia and takes the lead: 43- 39. The usual Dowe interrupts the fast but the game has changed: -5 at rest.
The inertia remains with the landlords who spread rampant in the opening third quarter with a dunk by Willis: 55-45.
The awakening of Bendzius restores courage to Banco: 57-54. The killer Bramos puts in two triples and Venice starts up again, even touching +11.
At the opening of the last quarter Dowe from below for -5 but in the following action the unsportsmanlike on Tessitori is booed. Venice takes advantage of it with 4 points, and two flashes from Mokoka push the biancoblù down to -12 after 33'. Diop pushes for the umpteenth recovery and Kruslin scores the two free throws for -1 with 58 seconds to go. Willis made no mistake from the foul line and Bendzius' triple for the equalizer was thrown out of an impossible situation.
The tables
Umana Reyer Venice: Spissu 3 Parks 8 Bramos 12 Moraschini 2 De Nicolao ne, Granger 6 Chillo ne, Brooks 7 Willis 7 Watt 19 Tessitori 7 Mokoka 8 All. Spahija.
Banco di Sardegna Sassari: Jones 3 Robinson 16 Dowe 16 Kruslin 9 Gandini ne, Devecchi ne, Treier 3 Chessa ne, Stephens 5 Bendzius 8 Gentile 4 Raspino, Diop 13 All. Bucchi.
