NAPLES (Italy) - It's no secret that Meo Sacchetti's teams shoot lights out. Russia could do nothing about Italy's 13-of-26 shooting from distance, as they lost pace over the last three and a half minutes.

Coach Sergey Bazarevich will send the message to his players that there is no time for despair after this 83-64 loss, because Russia are playing host to North Macedonia on Sunday. A win there would send the red-and-yellow team to 0-2, improving Russia's chances of reaching the Final Round.

Meanwhile, Italy could rise to 2-0 when they face Estonia in Tallinn in three days' time.

Turning Point: Russia were within striking distance up until the final 3:30 of the game, trailing by nine points. But Italy just switched through gears to finish strong, putting together a 15-5 run to boost confidence with a convincing final score.

Game Hero: Giampaolo Ricci went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and had a game-high 19 points. He was 7-of-11 from the field, with 7 rebounds also to his name.

Stats Don't Lie: Although Georgia knocked down 17 three-pointers in their game against Switzerland on the first day of the Qualifiers, Italy's 13 felt more devastating on the day because they came with a 50 percent accuracy. Russia, meanwhile, were held to 9-of-30 from the same distance and 37 percent overall.

Bottom Line: This was a game that was highly enjoyable for the capacity crowd in Naples, because players like Marco Spissu got a chance to step up with 10 points and 10 assists. Simone Fontecchio had 10 points, and coach Sacchetti even got contributions from his teenagers. Giordano Bortolani (19) knocked down one three-pointer, while Matteo Spagnolo (17) spent 12 minutes on the floor and also finished with 3 points.

FIBA