Dominican Republic vs. Italy Results:
The Dominican Republic, the same team that defeated the Gilas Pilipinas squad on Friday, took the driver’s seat for first place in Group A of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 after defeating Italy.
The South Americans rallied from a slow start and beat Italy with the final score of 87-82, and it was because of the impressive 16 three-pointers from the Dominicana.
Dominican Republic improved to 2-0 in Group A, and their victory against the World No.10 ranked team, Italia. This is the first time the Dominican Republic defeated the Italians since their 79-59 loss in the Semi-Finas of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade last 2020.
Watch the Highlights Video of Dominican vs. Italy:
The thrilling game between the Italians and the Dominican Republic was full of drama after Italian head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco was ejected from the game with 2:20 minutes left in the first half with his second technical foul of the game.
Due to the ejection of the Italian head coach, his assistant Edoardo Casalone led the Azzurri. This is not the first time Pozzecco was ejected from a game because the head coach was also ejected in Italy’s Round of 16 game at the FIBA Euro Basket 2022.
During the game between the Dominican Republic and Italy, the South Americans were up 46-44 early in the third quarter, and then they mounted a 16-4 run to pull ahead 62-48.
The Dominicans remained in control and led by as many as 17 points until the closing minutes when Italy tried to bounce back to within 3 points with 17 seconds to go. Still, Golden State Warriors’ two-way player Lestor Quinones made two free throws to save the game in favor of the Dominicans.
Andrez Feliz shone brightly during the game against Italy as he drained 7-of-10 three-pointers, scoring 24 points in favor of the Dominicans. He also proved his worth in rebounding with 5 boards, 5 assists, and 1 block.
The Dominicans dominated the Italians by hitting 16 three-pointers. They also converted 16 second chance points compared to just 2 for Italy. The defense of the Caribbean side also harassed Italy into shooting 24 percent from long range.
With the Dominican Republic’s victory over Italy, they are now looking into a second straight appearance in the second round if the Philippines beat Angola.
Disclaimer: PhilNews.XYZ articles and their external content are not financial advice but are only used for educational purposes. Always Do Your Own Research (DYOR) first. The team serves to deliver unbiased news with less intrusive ads.
