Italy secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup by defeating Puerto Rico 73-57 in Group I of the second round on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Italian team improved their standing in the competition to 4-1 and extended their historical dominance over Puerto Rico in FIBA and Olympic matches, boasting 13 wins against them with just one defeat.
This achievement marks Italy’s first appearance in the tournament’s quarterfinals since the 1998 edition.
Coach Gianmarco Pozzecco, who was the point guard of the Azzurri in 1998, expressed his admiration for his players, stating, “I love my players. They have a strong bond and are fully dedicated to their performance.”
With only a four-point lead entering the fourth quarter, Italy executed a 12-3 run, culminating in Luca Severini’s free throw at the 6:06 mark, giving the European team a comfortable 63-50 advantage.
Italy then extended their lead to 73-57, thanks to Simone Fontecchio’s three-pointer with just 32 seconds remaining.
Leading Italy in scoring were Giampaolo Ricci and Stefano Tonut, each contributing 15 points, while Fontecchio had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Gigi Datome added 11 points for the Azzurri. Nicolo Melli secured 12 rebounds and scored seven points, while Alessandro Pajola contributed seven rebounds and nine assists.
Coach Pozzecco remarked, “I asked them before the match if they wanted to continue, and they demonstrated their desire on the court. I must acknowledge that we faced a strong opponent tonight who performed exceptionally well in this World Championship. Congratulations to Coach (Nelson) Colon and my friend Carlos Arroyo.”
The 12 Magnificos from Puerto Rico concluded their tournament run with a 3-2 record.
Tremont Waters led Puerto Rico with 13 points and nine assists, while Jordan Howard contributed 11 points, and Isaiah Pineiro and Ismael Romero each scored nine points.
The Scores:
Italy (73) – Ricci 15, Tonut 15, Fontecchio 12, Datome 11, Spissu 8, Melli 7, Severini 3, Procida 2, Pajola 0, Polonara 0, Spagnolo 0.
Puerto Rico (57) – Waters 13, Howard 11, Romero 9, Pineiro 9, Ortiz 8, Conditt 4, Thompson Jr 3, Barea 0, Holland 0, Ford 0.
Quarterscores: 25-15, 39-36, 51-47, 73-57.
