The first phase of the Under 17 World Cup being played in Turkey has concluded and, after the bad defeats suffered against Argentina and Turkey, the last match for the Azzurrini before the knockout stages was against New Zealand. And finally the Azzurri get going, dominating against those who had won their first two matches, but Italy still finished the group in fourth place.
A start full of errors, with the Azzurri also making too many mistakes and after a first partial of 5-2 for New Zealand, Italy at least tries to raise the level in defense. And if Mathis loses a couple of balls too many, on the other side of the parquet Lonati and Accorsi recover and we get to the middle of the quarter on 7-6 for the New Zealanders. Italy continues to chase, with a 0/9 from beyond the arc struggling to keep up with a New Zealand that is not irresistible anyway. But two stolen balls in the final are worth a mini-partial for the Azzurri and the first stop is at 14-14.
And at the beginning of the second quarter, a dunk by Suigo that gives the first advantage to the Azzurri in the match. The shooting percentages for the two teams increase, and they continue to play point by point, even if now the New Zealand turnovers do not keep Italy in the game, but allow the Azzurri a small lead. Italy, however, is too foul-prone (and often whistles from one side only, with a partial of 14 fouls to 4 in 15 minutes of play), with the bonus finished after not even 4 minutes of play, and the New Zealanders who from the free throw line remain in the wake of the Azzurri. A triple by Garavaglia seals the +7 with just under 3′ to go before halftime and Italy goes to the break with a 42-34 lead.
A great steal and a spectacular counterattack by Lonati give the Azzurri their first double-digit lead, still dominating in defense. New Zealand reacts, coming back to -4, then a triple by Garavaglia to relaunch the Azzurri action. Third quarter where Italy can control, also thanks to the triples that finally go in and prevent the New Zealanders from coming back. The Azzurri’s fouls also drop and, so, after 10 minutes of quality, the game goes to the final stop with Italy ahead 69-55..
The fourth quarter starts immediately with another partial in favor of the Azzurri and the match is virtually over at +20, with the rest of the game being garbage time. Time for the statistics, for some quality plays by an unleashed Garavaglia and, in the end, Italy wins 95-69. The Azzurri closed with 16 points from Lonati, 13 from Accorsi, 12 each from Garavaglia and Ceccato, and 10 from Angeletti. Also worth highlighting were the 5 balls recovered by Garavaglia, the 7 assists by Ceccato, but also – in the New Zealand home team, the 0/13 from beyond the arc. Now for the Azzurri there will be Australia, the first do-or-die challenge.
