Did Gigi save Italy’s World Cup in 100 seconds?

MANILA (Philippines) - Italy's backs were against the wall and their dreams of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Quarter-Finals were just about dead. Then came Gigi.

Italy’s captain Luigi Datome channelled his former great performances for Italia and very well may have saved the team's chances for their first-ever World Cup medal. Italy trailed Serbia by 16 points midway through the third quarter and it seemed bleak that Italy could move to 3-1 in Group I.

But the 35-year-old Datome threw down a dunk, buried two three-pointers and knocked down a turnaround jumper within a span of 100 seconds to get Italy within one point at the start of the fourth quarter.

"Gigi is a legend. What he did today was just a cherry on the top of his career. It was something unbelievable," said Simone Fontecchio, who totalled 30 points in helping carry the team to a 78-76 victory.

“He showed us the way being down 16. No matter what he kept playing at 35. He was simply amazing, just leading by example. He's our captain, he's our leader. He's just the best teammate you can imagine. That really pushed us to find the last energy in our bodies to come back."

Nicolo Melli has played with Datome for many years and for him, it was Gigi just doing Gigi things.

“He's one of our veterans, he’s our captain, so you know he shows the values of this team. He showed character like he always has in his career," Melli said.

Those were the only 10 points that Datome scored after having combined for 17 points in Italy’s first three games.

"I've been struggling with the three-point shot but I keep on believing in my shot and myself. Most importantly, my teammates are still believing in me and my coach," said the ever-humble veteran. "I'm happy that I gave my contribution, but today I don't remember a single player that didn't contribute to the win."

 But thanks to Datome's 100 seconds, Italy can still dream.

FIBA