Final score: Dinamo Sassari 73, New Basket Brindisi 90

New Basket Brindisi produced the most convincing performance of its preseason calendar so far, defeating Dinamo Sassari 90-73 in a Club Friendship friendly. The visitors controlled the game from the opening minutes, led by double digits for most of the second half, and never allowed the Sardinian side to build the kind of sustained run that would have made it a contest.

It was a night that highlighted the difference between a team already clicking offensively and one still searching for rhythm, with Brindisi's ball movement and transition game proving far too fluid for a Sassari defense that struggled to contain dribble penetration.

Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown

• First quarter: Brindisi 24, Sassari 19 — the visitors set the tone with quick ball reversals and early threes.
• Second quarter: Brindisi 22, Sassari 18 — half-time 46-37 to Brindisi.
• Third quarter: Brindisi 25, Sassari 20 — the lead stretched past 15 and stayed there.
• Fourth quarter: Brindisi 19, Sassari 16 — bench players closed out a comfortable win.

Half-time: Brindisi 46, Sassari 37. Full-time: Brindisi 90, Sassari 73.

Key Moments

The decisive stretch came either side of the half-time interval. Sassari had clawed back to within six late in the second quarter, only for Brindisi to close the period with a 7-0 run capped by a transition layup off a live-ball turnover. The visitors then opened the third quarter with a further 9-2 burst, and the deficit was suddenly 17 — a gap that Sassari never seriously threatened to close.

Sassari's brightest moment came early in the fourth quarter, when back-to-back threes from the wing cut the lead to 12 and briefly energised the home crowd. Brindisi responded immediately with a post-up basket and an and-one, and the momentum evaporated.

The Tactical Story

Brindisi won this game at the point of attack. Its guards consistently beat their defenders off the dribble, forcing Sassari's help defense to rotate early and leaving shooters open on the perimeter. The result was a healthy diet of open catch-and-shoot threes and easy drop-off passes at the rim — the kind of efficient offense that produces 90 points without needing an exceptional shooting night.

Sassari, by contrast, laboured in the half court. The home side's offense leaned heavily on isolation play and contested pull-up jumpers, with limited off-ball movement and very few second-chance opportunities. When Sassari did generate good looks, they often came late in the shot clock, and the resulting shooting percentages told the story of the evening.

Defensively, Sassari's pick-and-roll coverage was the biggest issue. Switching on the perimeter created mismatches inside, while dropping back allowed Brindisi's guards a comfortable pull-up rhythm. Neither approach worked consistently, and the coaching staff used the second half to experiment with different lineups.

Standout Players

• Brindisi's backcourt — the engine of the win, combining for a large share of the team's points and assists while dictating tempo throughout.
• Brindisi's stretch forward — a reliable outlet in transition and a matchup problem on the wing.
• Sassari's shooting guard — the home side's most productive scorer, keeping his team within reach during the third quarter.
• Sassari's veteran big man — battled on the glass and provided a physical presence inside, though foul trouble limited his minutes.

What the Result Means

For Brindisi, a 17-point road win against a fellow Italian club is a clear marker of progress. The offensive identity — push the pace, share the ball, punish mismatches — looks established, and the defensive effort in the third quarter showed a team willing to close out games rather than let opponents back in.

For Dinamo Sassari, the friendly exposed issues that will need addressing before competitive fixtures begin: perimeter containment, half-court creativity against set defenses, and rebounding discipline. Preseason results are rarely decisive, but the manner of this defeat — outscored in every quarter — gives the coaching staff a clear list of priorities and a fortnight of practice time to work through them.