After the first hesitant seconds, in this match which looked like a round of 16, Italy took control of the game, thanks to a big 15-0, thanks in particular to the penetrations of Stefano Tonut (15 points) . Tremont Waters, despite his many lost balls, offered a small reaction, but Gianmarco Pozzecco’s players took a ten-point lead in the first quarter.
The clumsiness of the Italians, symbolized by Simone Fontecchio’s missed shots behind the arc, allows Puerto Rico to come back and be only three points behind at the break (39-36).
The start of the second half was very complicated for both teams, with a lot of waste. Puerto Rico took the opportunity to sneak past, but with prize-winning baskets, including one from Simone Fontecchio (12 points), Italy regained control.
Then a few more 3-point shots give some air and help to widen the gap in the last quarter. The transalpine formation only has to manage its ten points lead in the last minutes. Stefano Tonut and his teammates therefore won 73-57 and thus validated their ticket to the quarter-finals.
They now have to wait for the result of the meeting between Serbia and the Dominican Republic to know if they finish first or second in their group, then the result of the duel between the United States and Lithuania to know which of these two teams they will challenge in the quarter-finals.
Highlights and stats to come…
