Banvit blasts Sassari to roll into eighthfinals

Banvit Bandirma ran over Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari 72-89 to clinch second place in Group H at the home team’s expense. Banvit improved to 4-2 and advanced to the eighthfinals, where it will face Virtus Roma. Sassari finished its European campaign in third place in the group with a 2-4 mark. The difference was made with a 0-16 Banvit run that began midway through the second quarter. The visitors led 34-50 at halftime and Sassari never got closer than 9 the rest of the night. Sammy Mejia paced the winners with 16 points and 8 assists. Chuck Davis also scored 16 and Vladimir Dragicevic and Keith Simmons netted 15 apiece for Banvit. Jerome Dyson led Sassari with 19 points, David Logan added 17, Rakim Sanders 12 and Brian Sacchetti 11.

It was very close early; neither team led by more than 3 until Davis made it 12-17 after seven minutes of game time. Dyson’s three-point play and a Logan triple soon had the hosts back on top. Banvit scored the next 7 points, but Sacchetti’s four-point play ended the first quarter at 22-24. Davis scored twice for Banvit, but baskets by Edgar Sosa and Shane Lawal twice trimmed the deficit to a single points. It was 32-34 midway through the quarter after a Sanders three-pointer. However Banvit took charge with 16 unanswered points – half of which came from Mejia – to take control. Logan’s layup only made it 34-50 at the break.

The teams traded baskets for the first six minutes of the second half; after a Simmons triple made it 47-63, the 16-point margin was identical to Banvit’s halftime lead. A pair of Logan baskets brought the hosts within 10 and a Giacomo Devecchi triple at the end of the quarter renewed Sassari’s hopes at 60-69. Sosa further trimmed the deficit to 7, but back-to-back threes by Simmons put the visitors comfortable ahead. A three by Safak Edge made it 64-80 with less than four minutes to go. Davis increased the lead to 20 in the final minute as Banvit secure a historic win.