TRENTO (Italy) - Like each and every August, Italy spent the final forty minutes of its preparation in Trento for the Trentino Basket Cup.
This year was no different, as the Azzurri gifted the audience in BTS Arena the 83-61 friendly-game win against Estonia before the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers.
The story of the game
Italy approached the game with difficulty, struggling to find easy baskets but managing to get the first lead of the game at 14-13 with Nicolò Melli after five minutes of playing time. Maik-Kalev Kotsar had a buzzer-beating layup to keep Estonia close (23-21) at the end of the first quarter, with Simone Fontecchio already at 10 points.
In the second quarter, Artur Konontsuk woke Estonia up from deep, but Giovanni Emejuru answered immediately with a two-handed slam. A similar outcome saw Fontecchio throwing down Darius Thompson's alley-oop, but then missing the three-pointer to push Italy. At halftime, the Azzurri were up 39-37.
Konontsuk's inspired night continued in the second half with five consecutive points, but the hosts forced Estonia's timeout at 52-46 after two straight threes by Matteo Spagnolo and, once again, Fontecchio. The turning point arrived midway through the third quarter, with a 12-0 Italian run for the 15-point lead (61-46).
Between the third quarter, ending with a nice dunk connection between Saliou Niang and Giovanni Emejuru, and the fourth, it was all about keeping the game in control for Luca Banchi's team.
The player of the game
He wasn't there for Italy in July, resting after a long season in the NBA with the Miami Heat. But it's a different vibe for the Azzurri with Simone Fontecchio on board.
Before going up against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuzla and Serbia in Pesaro, Italy's No.13 was the difference maker with 21 points over 7-of-15 from the field.
Tommaso Baldasso followed him as Italy's second-best scorer with 16 points off 6-of-9 from the field. On the losing side, Artur Konontsuk and Kristian Kullamae combined for 29 points.
The stats of the game
Estonia had a fantastic three-point night in Kaunas against Lithuania in their 110-108 OT victory, while in Trento they had a poor 6-of-27 performance from beyond the arc.
Italy dominated inside the area with a solid 22-of-34 in two-pointers while also outassisting the opponents 22-16 in their last friendly game before Window 4, having also 43 points from the bench.
The takeaways from the game
With the full roster on board, Luca Banchi can be satisfied with his team's performance. After a 5-1 record in the First Round, Italy will have to deal with Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 28 and Serbia at home on August 31 to start the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers.
Estonia, on the other note, probably suffered the consequences of a tiring friendly 45-minute clash in Lithuania, but they will now reserve energies heading into Window 4, where they will face Hungary on the road on August 27 and host Finland in Tallinn on August 30 after a 3-3 record in the First Round.
FIBA