Thomas lifts Dinamo Sassari to crucial road win

Omar Thomas hit a game-winner for Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari, capping its comeback to edge BCM Gravelines 94-95 on Tuesday night. Dinamo Sassari now holds 2-2 record, and will be in a share of the second place of Group J on Wednesday, as victory significantly improved its chances in a race to go through to the eighthfinals. Gravelines drops to 1-3 after leading 83-75 in the fourth quarter. But Thomas and Caleb Green rallied Sassari, before Thomas scored the winning basket. Thomas finished with 22 points, Drake Diener netted 19 on 5-for-8 from three-point range, and Caleb Green had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in victory. Drew Gordon added 15, and Brian Sacchetti 13 points for the visitors. Meanwhile, Yakhouba Diawara scored 27 on 4 of 8 triples for Gravelines. Juby Johnson shot 5 of 7 from behind the arc for 17 points, Steven Gray netted 18, while John Holland and Marcus Lewis scored 10 apiece in defeat.

Offenses were clicking from the get-go on both ends of the floor. Diawara, Ousmane Camara and Gray scored for the hosts, but Thomas plus Caleb and Marwues Green got Sassari rolling. A triple from Drake Diener made it 10-13. Diawara answered from long range, and Yannick Bokolo hit a jumper for Gravelines, but Gordon sparked the visitors’ run in which Thomas contributed with 8 points, and Drake Diener nailed a pair of threes for 21-31 after 10 minutes. Saccheti hit a triple after 7 seconds of the second, added another 2 minutes later, and Travis Diener hit from downtown for 30-44. Lewis from close range, while Holland and Johnson from the distance made sure the visitors don’t pull away even more by that time. Drake Diener sank his third triple for 43-55, but Diawara scored twice inside, and Johnson nailed a three-pointer to cut it to 51-57 at halftime.

Gray and Diawara scored from long range for Gravelines in the third quarter, but Caleb Green and Gordon kept Sassari with the lead, 59-63. Drake Diener hit a jumper and back-to-back three-pointers for 63-71, but Diawara and Johnson nailed three-pointers on consecutive possession for Gravelines, and Holland’s layup tied it at 73-73 after three quarters. Holland opened the fourth with a triple, and made a pair of layups, before Johnson nailed his fifth three-pointer for 83-75. But Thomas and Sacchetti combined to go 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Diawara made a triple for 88-84, but Sacchetti hit a jumper, Thomas scored on a breakaway, and Caleb Green’s basket-plus-foul gave Sassari 90-91. Caleb Green hit another pair from the foul line, but Gray hit two jump shots in the final 100 seconds for 94-93. However, Thomas put Sassari back in front with 23 seconds left. Gravelines had two chances to win, but Gray missed a triple, before Sacchetti stole the ball after inbounding pass in the final second for the visitors to prevail.