In Cividale, Dinamo Sassari had the game in their hands for three quarters. They were up 57-49 at the end of the third quarter and lost 70-67, conceding a 21-10 run in the final ten minutes. A week after their win over Caserta, Banco were faced with the problem of consistency once again. This time, it cost them a game they could have won.
The collapse began before the final shot
Alessandro Grande’s three-pointer to tie the game rimmed out. But what weighs most heavily in the PalaGesteco defeat is what happened at the start of the fourth quarter. Banco went about four minutes without scoring, and Cividale opened the period with a 10-0 run. Later, with Sassari back within one, they lost the ball on a possession that could have put them ahead.
With an eight-point lead to protect, they needed to get back to creating a shot near the basket quickly and disrupt the momentum of the comeback. The first well-organized possession after two or three empty trips can change the finish as much as the final three-pointer.
Redivo needed to be forced to give up the ball
Lucio Redivo scored 38 of Cividale’s 70 points, with just two three-pointers. Dinamo knew what he could do. But his ability to drive into the lane and score from mid-range posed a different problem from simply chasing him along the three-point line.
They could have tried to deny him the middle earlier on the pick-and-roll, with the big man playing higher to slow his drive. Once he got going, selective double-teams could have forced him to give up the ball. The trade-off would have been leaving space for his teammates, starting with Baldi Rossi. That is why it would have made sense to alternate coverages and prepare rotations for the first pass. The aim was to make someone else take at least some of the key decisions.
When will we see Banco at full strength?
In Cividale, Bryce Nze and Kaza Kajami-Keane were absent, while Diego Monaldi was listed but did not play. When options at point guard and in the paint are both limited, it becomes harder to change the pace of the game and manage the minutes of those tasked with defending the most dangerous player.
As of November 9, there is no confirmed date for when the team will be at full strength. A player’s return also comes before they regain their fitness and on-court chemistry. In the meantime, Banco can already work on two aspects that made the difference in Cividale: how to build a good possession when the offense stalls, and how to change the defense when an opponent takes control of the game. On Wednesday, November 11, against Pesaro, they will have their first chance to show a response.