ISR - A valuable win for Shivek's side

ANTWERP (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - All of the friendly games being played on the old continent this summer may not count towards the EuroBasket standings, but they can have a psychological impact on a team.

Israel will be thinking they have an excellent opportunity to progress from Group A in Slovenia next month and they definitely want the winning feeling when the tournament gets under way for them in Ljubljana against Great Britain on 4 September.

For that reason, national team coach Arik Shivek was all smiles after the Israelis avenged a defeat to Italy from earlier this summer when the teams met in Antwerp, Belgium, on Sunday.

One day after falling to Poland, 75-72, and suffering a third defeat in four warm-up games for the EuroBasket, the Israelis bounced back against the Italians and prevailed, 78-74.

"We finally won a tight game and that was important, even though it was our fault that it became tight," said Shivek, whose team had led by 14 points before the Azzurri battled back.

"We played really well defensively in the second half.

"There is still plenty of room for improvement, but that is the case with all the teams which are preparing for the European Championships. Everyone is trying different line-ups and making sure the players don’t get too tired."

The worrying news for Israel is that right now the team doesn't have the services of center Alex Tyus, their naturalized player from the United States.

Tyus was a key man in the Qualification Round and is expected to make it back to the team in plenty of time for the EuroBasket.

Veteran guard Yotam Halperin had 13 points for the Israelis and Lior Eliyahu 11.

Shivek's side wraps up the tournament in Belgium with a game against the hosts on Monday.

The top six sides at the EuroBasket will qualify for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. If Spain are in the first six, then the top seven sides will progress.

FIBA