DINAMO SASSARI ELIMINATED FROM COPPA ITALIA BY SAN MARTINO DI LUPARI
The Dinamo Sassari women's basketball team faced disappointment after being eliminated from the Coppa Italia, succumbing to San Martino di Lupari with a final score of 66-77 at the PalaSerradimigni on December 28, 2024. This loss marks the end of the Sassari team’s run in the tournament as they failed to recover after losing key player Begic early on due to injury.
Dinamo's coach Antonello Restivo led his team with hope after they started on strong footing, opening the game with notable points from Taylor and Begic at the free-throw line. Unfortunately, disaster struck within just four minutes of gameplay when star player Begic went down with a knee injury, forcing her off the court and leaving her teammates shaken.
San Martino capitalized on this pivotal moment, launching on a 9-0 run with clever plays from Robinson, Cvijanovic, and Simon, allowing the visitors to assume control as the scoreboard flipped to 11-15. The first quarter concluded with the Sassari team trailing by two points, 15-17. Dinamo struggled with rhythm following the loss of Begic, and their performance began to suffer, compounded by shooting inefficiencies.
The second quarter continued to see back-and-forth exchanges, but fundamentally, the loss of Begic had lacking repercussions as Sassari fell behind to San Martino's aggression. An 8-0 run from San Martino cemented their lead, pushing the score to 23-31. Though Dinamo's Pastrello and Carangelo made commendable efforts to close the gap, they reached halftime with San Martino maintaining momentum at 29-37.
Coming back from the break, San Martino displayed superb offensive execution and positional play, extending their lead to as much as 21 points by the start of the fourth quarter, 39-60. Despite moments of competitiveness led by Taylor, who ended with 27 points and displayed flashes of individual brilliance, the Dinamo couldn't recover from the deficit.
With the clock winding down, Dinamo managed to fight back momentarily, aided by another strong contribution from Pastrello, but it became evident their efforts wouldn't be enough. Restivo remarked post-game, "We had difficulty with their continuous attempt to intercept everything and disrupt passing lanes. Our focus now is on Begic, we’re sending her best wishes for recovery,” underscoring the emotional toll of the loss.
The coaching staff's reflections revealed frustration with their shooting percentage, noting issues as they barely achieved 30% from the field. Restivo acknowledged the need for the team to regain confidence and play with coherence, as not having Begic greatly changed their plans against San Martino’s dominant style of play.
With this defeat, Sassari now turns its attention back to the league, needing to shift focus and recover from this early Coppa Italia exit as they prepare for future fixtures. Their ability to bounce back will now rest on how effectively they can adapt without one of their leading players and find ways to restore offensive rhythm.
While their run through the Coppa Italia came to a swift end, the women's team remains resilient, eyeing opportunities for redemption within the Eurocup and the remainder of the domestic league.
