Italy and Puerto Rico squared off in Group I, which was a direct duel for placement in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup. The representative of the Italy celebrated with a score of 73:57 for a place among the top eight.
The stake was high. The previous results created such a fate where four teams from the group fight for the quarter-finals. The calculation was clear, whoever wins, moves on, and whoever loses, packs their bags.
Although both of them started the game a little nervously, Puerto Rico scored the first four points of the match. Then Italy created a 15:0 run, on whose wings they led 25:15 after ten minutes with extremely poor shooting percentages. An identical scenario was seen below, but Puerto Rico did not surrender.
They caught as many as 11 offensive rebounds in the first half, and with a good game in the finish, they melted the deficit to 39:36. It is worth mentioning that after 20 minutes of play, the Italians hit only three three-pointers from 17 attempts.
The third quarter offered a huge amount of pressure, plenty of misses and reversals. Although Puerto Rico managed to take the lead at one point, Italy led 51:47 before the decisive 10 minutes. Gianmarco Pozzecco’s chosen team continued in a good rhythm in the fourth quarter, and after gaining an advantage of 13 “excess” points, it was clear that they would get the full spoils and place in the quarterfinals.
The best point scorer among the winning team was Stefano Tonut, who scored 15 points, which was also scored by Giampaolo Ricci. Luigi Datome played an extremely important role, scoring 11 points, but in the moments when it was necessary for the Italian selection. In the composition of Puerto Rico, Tremont Waters was better than his teammates with 15 points, and the second scorer of the defeated team was Jordan Howard with 11 points.
In this way, Italy paved the way among the eight best teams at the FIBA World Cup. We will find out the other team that will go to the quarterfinals with the Italians after the duel between Serbia and the Dominican Republic.