HONG KONG — Italy was left licking its wounds after suffering an 87-82 upset at the hands of the Dominican Republic in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Despite taking a 12-0 lead at the 7:08 mark of the first quarter, courtesy of Marco Spissu’s lay-up, things unraveled quickly for the Azzurri.
The Italians lost their head coach, Gianmarco Pozzecco, after he incurred his second technical foul at the 2:20 mark of the second quarter. The Dominicans then eventually pulled off the upset, while the Azzurri were left lamenting the shocking outcome.
“I think, of course, we started a very good game. We were also controlling it. After that, they started making outside shots. They were good enough to make them, and vice versa,” said Italy vet Gigi Datome, who scored eight points in close to 19 minutes of action.
“As a team, if you don’t shoot well from three, you have to be almost perfect in the other aspects of the game. We kept the game close because we controlled the boards, we shot well from two, and we didn’t commit too many turnovers. But I think the key to the game was that,” the former NBA pro continued.
“Congratulations to them. As for us, we’ll get ready for the next one. Of course, it’s going to be very important.”
The outcome means that Italy’s match against Gilas Pilipinas this Tuesday becomes hugely important for both squads, as a win will allow one of the two countries involved to advance to the knockout stage.
The Azzurri will have their backs against the wall as tens of thousands of Filipino supporters are expected to back the host nation at ‘The Big Dome’.
Whatever happens, it will be another memorable night for basketball in this edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and Datome cannot wait to get into the thick of the action.
“We’ll keep believing in ourselves, of course, keep trusting each other, and we know it’s going to be as hard as it was today, like it was two days ago. No difference,” said the EuroLeague 2017 champion.
“At this stage, there’s no time for depression, no time for euphoria. We are old enough. Everybody has gone through important games. Everybody has played against tough opponents on the court. It’s going to be exciting.
“It’s going to be a nice atmosphere, and all the players love to play in a nice atmosphere. We’re going to control what we do on the court better, while the rest is just the environment. We need to be focused on our job,” he closed.
