Simone Fontecchio's clutch three-pointer pushes Italy to the playoffs / News - Basketnews.com

Simone Fontecchio hit a clutch three-pointer with 39 seconds to go in the match to push Italy to the playoffs.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Simone Fontecchio hit a clutch three-pointer to ice the game with 39 seconds to go in the fourth quarter as Italy (2-2) beat Croatia (2-2) 81-76 (22-17, 20-17, 13-25, 26-17) to advance to the playoffs in EuroBasket 2022.

Player of the Game EFF 16 Nicolo Melli Points 19 Accuracy 8-17 Rebounds 5 Assists 3

With the teams separated by just a single point (72-71) and under four minutes to go, Italy went on a quick 7-0 run. However, things were not over.

Dario Saric made a three-pointer but it was Simone Fontecchio's time. When it seemed like Croatia already had a successful defensive possession, Fontecchio hit a tough rainbow triple to put the home team up by seven (81-74) and send head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco into a frenzy.

Although Jaleen Smith made a tough layup, the Croatians chose not to foul and left themselves with just under 10 seconds to try and eliminate the five-point deficit. Ultimately, it was not enough, and the Italians claimed themselves a spot in the playoffs.

Fontecchio finished the game with 19 points on 6-for-17 shooting, making 4 three-pointers out of 10. Nicolo Melli contributed with 19 points as well, while also grabbing 5 rebounds along the way.

Bojan Bogdanovic was a lone warrior on the Croatian national team with 27 points on 8-for-17 shooting and 5 rebounds.

With Greece at the top of Group C, both Italy and Croatia will battle for second place going into the playoffs. It is currently possible that three teams - Ukraine, Italy, and Croatia - will finish the first stage with three wins in their accounts and the head-to-head point difference will have to be counted.

Italy: Simone Fontecchio 19 (2/7 2PT, 4/10 3PT), Nicolo Melli 19 (7/14 2PT, 5 REB).

Croatia: Bojan Bogdanovic 27 (4/6 2PT, 4/11 3PT, 7/7 FT, 5 REB), Ivica Zubac 13 (4/6 2PT, 6 REB), Dario Saric 10 (8 REB, 6 TO).

Nicolo Melli's highlights:

Full game highlights:

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