Italy advance to the final in Belgrade

2021-07-03 12:59
Credit: FIBA

Italy got their ticket to the final thanks to a comfortable win over the Dominican Republic 79-59 (22-14, 20-16, 24-8, 13-21). They'll now wait for their opponent from the other semifinal between Serbia and Puerto Rico.

In the first quarter, Italy had a great start, especially on the defensive side, limiting the Dominican Republic to just 6 points for a while. Mannion and Tonut provided the firepower with 6 and 5 points respectively. In the final two minutes of the period, the Dominican Republic got a little bit closer, thanks mainly to Michael Torres.

In the second period, Italy maintained a comfortable lead, finishing the half up by 12 points. The team coached by Meo Sacchetti kept shooting the ball effectively from 3-point, finishing with 54% at the end of the first half. The Dominican Republic was able to cut the lead to just 3 points during the second period, led by the shots of Adonys Henriquez. Simone Fontecchio kept shining with 12 points and 3 rebounds at the end of the half.

Player of the Game
Simone  Fontecchio
EFF
20
Simone Fontecchio
Points 17
Accuracy 6-10
Rebounds 5
Assists 3

Italy completely destroyed the Dominican Republic in the third quarter, allowing only 8 points and finishing up by 28 points. A defensive masterpiece for the team of coach Meo Sacchetti, who was able to block completely Dominican Republic's offense. The defensive intensity for Italy was all over the place. Pajola, who had suffered a sprained ankle in the first game against Puerto Rico, had a great impact coming off the bench, scoring 6 points and providing some great defense.

In the final 10 minutes, Italy slowed down and started to look a little bit sloppy, letting the Dominican Republic cut the lead a bit. Sacchetti used his bench a lot, giving minutes to Ricci, Abass, Moraschini, and Tessitori. 

At the end of the game, the top scorer for Italy was Simone Fontecchio with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. For the Dominican Republic, Francis finished with 12 points.



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