Coach Sacchetti: 'We played to our maximum, but it wasn't enough' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

After the loss 83-86 to Australia, Italian NT head coach Romeo Sacchetti acknowledged that his team played a very good game but that just wasn't enough against such a strong team.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Nick Kay Points 15 Accuracy 6-7 Rebounds 7 Assists 2

"It's difficult to play against a good team like Australia. They have shooters, they know each other well and they read the defense perfectly. Probably the key was that we missed a couple of defensive rebounds, after two of them they made shots and made very important 3-pointers right back," said Sacchetti after the game. "We played to our maximum, but that is not enough against a team like Australia."

Nico Mannion, who was the top scorer for Italy with 21 points and added 7 assists and 3 rebounds, agreed with his coach. "We need to focus on our defensive rebounding. We gave up a couple of defensive rebounds that ended up in kick-out threes and layups and just easy, easy shots for them. And they got a lot of really good players, so if you give them easy shots, it's going to turn into momentum for them. We played well as a team, fought to the last seconds," said the Golden State Warriors guard. "We have a lot of heart, so I think everything is there, we just need to piece it together and get ready for the next one."

Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.