Winning debut for the new National Team jersey in Trento, on the occasion of the tenth edition of the “Trentino Basket Cup” which the Azzurri won by beating Georgia 79-68 in a sold out “Il T Quotidiano Arena” (4,000 spectators).
At the end of the match, the technical staff coordinated by coach Pozzecco made official the list of 12 players leaving for Madrid and then for the pre-Olympic tournament: Davide Casarin was authorized to leave the gathering.
The best scorer for the Azzurri and MVP of the tournament was Danilo Gallinari with 13 points, also in double figures were Achille Polonara (his 90th appearance in the national team) with 12 and Stefano Tonut with 11. For Georgia the top scorer was captain Shengelia at 17.
Tomorrow morning the Azzurri will move to Madrid to face the Spain of coach Sergio Scariolo at the WiZink Center (7.00 pm, live Sky Sport Arena and Now). The team will return to Italy immediately after the match to leave for Miami on June 26th. The move to San Juan is scheduled for June 29th. Pre-Olympic debut on 2 July against Bahrain.
Applause for the referee Roberto Begnis, who refereed his last basketball game in Trento. For “Bobo” 24 seasons in Serie A, 701 races in professional championships79 Playoff matches (16 seasons), 19 Scudetto finals, 13 Cup Final Fours with 4 finals.
Thus coach Pozzecco at the end of the match: “Our team has always been based on a concept of mutual trust, which can never fail. We had little time to introduce new players compared to last year, which is why maximum collaboration from everyone is necessary. We chose the 12 who will leave for the pre-Olympic and it was not an easy choice at all because Davide Casarin is a great talent and he would have deserved to stay with us.”
Spissu, Tonut, Petrucelli, Polonara, Melli is the starting quintet chosen by Poz: the start is marked by 5 consecutive points from Bitadze but then it is the Captain who unblocks the Azzurri by finding the first basket in tap-in. Spissu scored a triple to equalize at 10: in the first half the game remained balanced, with Georgia remaining ahead thanks to Thomasson and Shengelia but never finding the right escape. As is normal in the first official match approaching the pre-Olympic, Poz’s rotations are very large, so much so that eight Azzurri have already scored after 12 minutes. Melli’s triple gives them the first lead (28-25), the Trento crowd warms up with a couple of counterattacks converted into baskets by Petrucelli.
The 9-0 put together by the Azzurri at the end of the second quarter sends us to +7 at the break (37-30), in the middle of the third period a flare-up triggered by Tonut and Gallinari brings us back to +8 but Georgia proves to be a solid team and leathery, therefore a more than useful test from a San Juan perspective. At the end of the half, three recoveries in a row give us another mini-stretch (58-51, triple by Polonara), which somehow compensates for Shengelia’s excellent moment.
The definitive blow to Georgia that won the “Trentino Basket Cup” came at the start of the last quarter, with Mannion’s triple and then Abi Abass’s free throws (65-51). From that moment on, the Azzurri maintained their double-digit lead without difficulty, reaching +20 on several occasions before closing at 79-68. Thirteenth success over Georgia in 13 matches.
The scoreboard
Italy-Georgia 79-68 (17-23; 20-7; 21-21; 21-17)
Italy: Spissu* 3 (1/3 three), Mannion 9 (3/5, 1/3), Abass 8 (1/2, 0/2), Tonut* 11 (3/7), Gallinari 13 (2 /2, 0/1), Melli* 9 (1/2, 2/4), Ricci 2 (1/3, 0/2), Bortolani 3 (1/3 from three), Casarin 1, Caruso 2 (1 /1), Polonara* 12 (3/4, 2/3), Pajola (0/1 from three), Petrucelli* 6 (1/3, 0/1). All: Pozzecco
Georgia: Andronikashvili 2 (0/1 from three), Jintcharadze 3 (0/1, 1/1), Sanadze* 8 (2/4 from 3), Korsantia 9 (2/4, 1/1), Phevadze* 5 (1/2, 1/4), Kakushadze, Shengelia* 17 (3/6, 3/6), Maziashvili 1 (0/1, 0/1), Thomasson 9 (2/4, 1/5), Bitadze * 12 (2/5, 2/5), Ochkhikidze* (0/2, 0/2), Londaridze 2 (1/1). All: Dzikic.
Two-pointers Ita 16/29, Geo 11/26; Three-pointers Ita 7/23, Geo 11/30; Free throws Ita 26/30, Geo 13/17. Rebounds Ita 25 (Polonara 7), Geo 38 (Bitadze 11). Assist Ita 22 (Melli 7), Geo 14 (Shengelia 4).
5 fouls issued: Bitadze
Referees: Roberto Begnis, Edoardo Gonella, Andrea Valzani
Spectators: 4,000 (sold out)
