Achille Polonara and Nico Mannion lead Italy to a tough win against Puerto Rico / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

In the lone game of Group B at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, Italy (1-0) defeated Puerto Rico (0-1) 90-83 (18-24, 19-20, 27-14,26-25).

Points this season

44%83,0Points made:83,0Accuracy:43,8%Place in standings:10Record max:83Record min:83Best scorer:Gilberto ClavellTeamOQTStatisticsSchedule

After struggling a lot in the first half, in which they fell behind by 17 points, Italy rallied back in the second half and was able to come up with a very important victory over Puerto Rico. This win means that Italy won't face Serbia in the semi-finals.

Achille Polonara, Nico Mannion, and Simone Fontecchio all finished with 21 points and were the key factors in Italy's win. Polonara, who just signed a deal with Fenerbahce, added 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Mannion also contributed 6 assists and 3 rebounds. Fontecchio was deadly from the outside, finishing with 50% from 3-point range.

Puerto Rico was led mainly by Gary Browne, who finished with 16 points and 16 assists, and Gian Clavell, who had 24 points. After playing a great first half, in which they forced Italy to a very poor defensive performance, Puerto Rico lost some momentum in the second half as turnovers started to pile up.

Italy showed a completely different defensive intensity and Puerto Rico struggled to find easy shots as they did during the first half. After this loss, the team coached by Eddie Casiano will face Serbia in the tournament's semi-finals.

Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.