Sassari holds off CAI for second win

Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari never trailed before holding on to 75-72 win over CAI Zaragoza to stay in contention for a place in the eighthfinals. Sassari and CAI both hold 2-2 records in a share of the second place of Group N, but CAI has the tie-breaking advantage with its 12-point win over Sassari last week. In this game, Sassari took control with a 12-0 run that ended the first half, amking it 44-28. CAI slowly melted the deficit after the break, and got within 65-62 midway through the fourth quarter, but Sassari never relinquished the lead. MarQuez Haynes had 16 points and 8 assists to lead in victory. Jarvis Varando collected 13 points and 8 rebounds, Joe Alexander scored 12, while Tony Mitchell and Rok Stipcevic netted 10 apiece in victory. Jordan Swing scored 13, and Stevan Jelovac 10 for CAI.

Mitchel had a three-pointer and a three-point play, and Haynes hit from long range for Sassari, too, giving home side 13-8 lead early on. Robin Benzing had a basket-plus-foul for CAI, and Isaac Fotu scored inside, but another three from Haynes kept the hosts ahead, and last-second triple from Stipcevic at the end of the quarter made it 23-18. Stipcevic opened the scoring in the second, as well, before Jelovac and Varnado traded baskets, making it 29-22. The visitors closed within 32-28 through baskets from Joan Sastre and Swing, but Mitchell sparked a quarter-ending 12-0 run during which Matteo Formenti and Haynes each hit once from long range, giving Sassari 44-28 halftime lead.

CAI opened third quarter with back-to-back threes from Tomas Bellas and Benzing, before Henk Norel cut it to 45-38. But David Logan nailed a three-pointer to push the margin back to double figures, and Alexander extended the lead to 51-38. Sastre hit from long range for the visitors, and Slava Kravtsov, Jelovac and Swing added to CAI’s tally. But Sassari went 8 of 8 from the foul line, to make it 59-49 at the end of the third. Swing hit a triple, than traded baskets with Varnado to get CAI within 61-54. Varando and Logan scored more for the hosts, but Kravtsov and Swing’s put-back got CAI within 65-62 midway through the fourth. Alexander had a three-point play for the hosts, but Bellas matched it with a triple. Haynes and Mitchell extended it to 72-65, and after Swing and Sastre closed the gap again, Stipcevic hit a three-pointer with 43 seconds left to make it 75-69. Tomas gave the visitors a chance with a triple, and Jelovac had a shot to send the game into overtime, but Sassari prevailed.