There's no way around it, a strong second half isn't enough to rally and defeat a strong and healthy opponent. Tortona wins 89-82 at the PalaSerradimigni. For Dinamo, it confirms that with only four foreign players, it's nearly impossible to win. Even though Johnson and Buie combined for 34 points.
Thomas is injured (left ankle), Pullen is on the starting lineup (disagreements with the coach and the club), and Marshall is warming up but isn't ready to play yet. Tortona starts off strong on offense, making very few mistakes and taking a double-digit lead: 13-23 at the 7th minute, with Vital unstoppable. With substitutions, Banco climbs back but stalls after missing four free throws, and the Piedmontese defense in the second quarter is truly intense and sticky. Banco struggles to score, and the visitors pull away: 16 points at the 17th minute. Point guard Buie initially fights alone (14 points at the half), then finally someone joins him and the game ends with a less significant deficit: 33-42.
In the third quarter, Dinamo remembered the first leg and produced an offensive acceleration, driven by Johnson's three-pointers, even getting within three. But each time, one of the visitors scored threes. In the final quarter, Visconti's hand also warmed up, Sassari repeatedly got within five, but with 69 seconds left, Hubb scored from the corner to seal the deal.