Italy beats Puerto Rico, advances to FIBA World Cup quarterfinals / News - Basketnews.com

Italy eliminated Puerto Rico from the FIBA World Cup 2023 after a tough win on Sunday.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Italy survived the do-or-die game in Group I by defeating Puerto Rico 73-57 and advancing to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 quarterfinals.

Player of the Game EFF 15 Nicolo Melli Points 7 Accuracy 3-7 Rebounds 12 Assists 2

Italy will finish 1st in their respective group if Serbia wins against the Dominican Republic later in the day.

Gianmarco Pozzecco's squad took down Puerto Rico behind strong Stefano Tonut's efforts. He dropped a team-high 15 points (7/9 2PT, 0/1 3PT, 1/3 FT) over 22 minutes.

Simone Fontecchio, who had a 30-point performance vs. Serbia on Friday, finished the game against Puerto Rico with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes.

Giampaolo Ricci (15) and Luigi Datome (11) were other Italian players in double-digit scoring. They both inspired Italy to a 12-3 start into the fourth quarter with their threes.

Italy then created a tangible 13-point lead (63-50), which the team held until the end of the game.

Game highlights:

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