By Cesare Milanti / info@Eurohoops.net
After crushing Victoria Libertas Pesaro 3-0 in the Quarter-Finals, Olimpia Milano started its Semifinals series in the Italian league with a convincing 95-72 victory against Dinamo Sassari, 5th in the standings at the end of the Regular Season. They previously beat Reyer Venezia to advance to this stage.
Watched by his fellow countryman Daniel Theis in the stands, Johannes Voigtmann made things immediately clear, putting up 11 points in three minutes, helping his team be up 19-5 in only four minutes of playing time.
From then on, Milano never stopped, closing the first quarter up by 13 points (25-12). They dominated the first half, closing it with a 23-point margin (52-29) against the Sardinian side. With 9:44 left in the fourth quarter, Paul Biligha left the court due to what seems like an arm injury.
The German ended the game with 22 points (5/5 from three) and 7 rebounds. The former CSKA Moscow power forward wasn’t the only one having a great night from the long distance. Overall, both the red-and-white side (16/33, 48.0%) and Dinamo Sassari (9/21, 43.0%) shot well from deep.
Other than the 30-year-old Eisenach native, Milano could count on an important contribution from Shavon Shields, who ended the encounter with 10 points and X rebounds. Baron and Datome added the same amount each. Dinamo Sassari scored 72 points, with Gerald Robinson and Chris Dowe providing 24 of them. The Quarter-Finals MVP Ousmane Diop had 13 points and 5 boards.
Ettore Messina decided to sideline Brandon Davies, DeShaun Thomas, Nazareth Mitrou-Long, Devon Hall, and Davide Alviti. Piero Bucchi, instead, had his entire roster, with the only exception being Luca Gandini.
After winning in Game 1, Olimpia Milano will now face Dinamo Sassari at home once again for Game 2, scheduled on May 29 at 21:00 CET. In the other LBA Semifinals series, Virtus Bologna goes up against Derthona Tortona: Game 1 is set to take place on May 28 at 19:30 CET.
LBA Semifinals Schedule and Results:
Olimpia Milano – Dinamo Sassari, G1: 95-72
Olimpia Milano – Dinamo Sassari, G2 (29/05 at 21:00 CET)
Dinamo Sassari – Olimpia Milano, G3 (01/06 at 21:00 CET)
Virtus Bologna – Derthona Tortona, G1 (28/05 at 19:30 CET)
Virtus Bologna – Derthona Tortona, G2 (30/05 at 21:00 CET)
Derthona Tortona – Virtus Bologna, G3 (02/06 at 21:00 CET)
PHOTO CREDIT: EA7 Emporio Armani Milano