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China and the world are getting closer and closer. Italy beat Lithuania 70-65 and takes a decisive step towards qualifying for the next world championship. For the countdown, the Azzurri will have to win Sunday in Poland, but the current situation of the standings places the Azzurri in a safe enough position, keeping three victories ahead of Croatia (with equal chance) and Hungary with three games to play.
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The game
It was a nervous match, where the attacks certainly did not shine. Italy (7/25) and Lithuania (8/22) scored poorly on three points, but the decision was the biggest blue energy in the final. Awudu Abbad is the top scorer for Italy with 13 points and Achille Polonara with 11 double-digit points. At home in Lithuania, excellent evidence of Mantas Kalnietis, scorer of the match with 15 points.
It really matters with the dropper and after more than two minutes, the dashboard only scores 2-2. You play point by point and you arrive in the first half at 9-9. Gentile finds the +2 (15-13) with a big move, but on the other hand, Kalnietis and then Girdziunas sign two triples for the Lithuanian +5 (16-21). Customers close the first quarter before 24-20.
Good start of the second quarter of Azzurri and Ariel Filloy equalized the score 26-26. Giedraitis, however, still builds a partial and finds the triple of +5, but frees Awudu Abbad who finds the same result and then marks a sensational bomb that explodes the public of Brescia. Italy is very fast, first mark Luca Vitali, then Pietro Aradori on the mermaid sign the basket of +7 (42-35).
Maciulis is the man in most of Lithuania, returning from locker room (44-41), but comes a new triple from Luca Vitali. The guests, however, stay there and this time, it is another old acquaintance of our league, Mantas Kalnietis, who equalizes then serves Maciulis for the Lithuanian +2 (53-51). Filloy scores an incredible basket in penetration and you enter the last ten minutes in perfect match.
Biligha with schiacciata, then Gentile of the mean, falling back, sign the +6 and are forced to leave the Lithuanian bench. The guests resist and are attacked with the bomb Seibutis (60-56) and Maciulis also finds the -2 three minutes from the end. Achille Polonara scored the treble of +5 two and a half minutes from the end, then Echodas is 2/4 of the free and is triple Brian Sacchetti 33 seconds from the end to send ecstasy throughout Brescia. A basket that drops the curtain and then the blues of the telescope close the accounts. China has never been so close.
The words of the coach Sacchetti
"Tonight, everyone has contributed to the cause and it really makes me proud of my team. We suffered the start of the match, but then we set the game up aggressively. The intensity made the difference. Now, let's go to Poland with this spirit. If that's enough, I do not know, but we'll try anyway. I am very happy with this good performance"
The small table
Italy-Lithuania 70-65
Italy: Abbad 13, Aradori 8, Filloy 4, Sacchetti 3, Vitali L. 7, Biligha 6, Burns 4, Gentile A. 6, Polonara 11, Ricci 3, Tonut 2, Vitali M. 3. All Sacchetti.
Lithuania: Bendzius 5, Geben 3, Juskevicius 2, Kalnietis 15, Maciulis 10, Butkevicius 2, Echodas 6, Giedraitis 6, Girdziunas 3, Masiulis ne, Seibutis 9, Zelionis 4. All Adomaitis.
No world championship for Slovenia
Slovenia, the current champion of Europe, will not participate in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China and therefore will have no chance of winning a place for the 2020 Tokyo Games. The selection of coach Trifunovic lost 82-54 in Ukraine is mathematically eliminated from the World Cup race: unfortunately, the absences of the NBA Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic, as well as the players of Euroleague such as Randolph, Prepelic and Blazic, were decisive for a resolutely negative trajectory, with 3 wins and 8 defeats.
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