Fearless Fontecchio fires Italy to victory to complete perfect window

BRESCIA (Italy) - Italy were pushed all the way as they fought hard to make it two wins from two in the August window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers.

Gianmarco Pozzecco's side came out on top in a tough battle against Georgia to prevail 91-84 in front of their home fans in Brescia and take another step towards next year's World Cup.

Turning point: Georgia had started the brighter in each of the first three quarters before Italy responded. In the fourth, the hosts put together an early 10-0 run to take control and led by as many as eight points. Thad McFadden almost single-handedly wiped out the deficit to make it 84-84. But up stepped Simone Fontecchio with a big triple of his own to spark a big finish for the Azzurri.

Game heroes: Fontecchio had not made a field goal in the second half before firing Italy back in front late in the fourth. The 26-year-old finished with a game-high 21 points to go with 8 rebounds and 6 assists in an all-round display. Danilo Gallinari took over in the third with 15 of his 17 points, but Italy will be sweating on his status after leaving the game with an apparent knee injury.

Stats don't lie: Italy kept their turnovers to single figures, whilst scoring 15 points off turnovers in the contest. Their overall shooting numbers were 10 percent lower than Georgia but they made 23 free throws in total - 11 more than their opponents.

Bottom line: Italy keep rolling on as they joined Spain on a 5-1 record at the top of Group L with a gap widening between the rest of the pack. Losing Gallinari would be a major blow to their EuroBasket hopes. As for Georgia, a spirited display having dealt with their own recent injury heartbreak and they are still very much in the mix after splitting the window.

They said: 

FIBA