EUR - France edge Italy in Cagliari thriller

CAGLIARI (EuroBasket 2009) - France drew first blood in the EuroBasket 2009 Additional Qualifying Round as they topped Italy 80-77 after overtime in a thriller in Cagliari.

Playing without the injured Tony Parker, France recovered from letting a late lead slip to come from behind in the extra period and strike a key early blow as they seek a ticket to Poland next month and a chance to qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Having trailed for much of the game, Italy looked like making France pay for not finishing them off earlier as they built a five-point lead in overtime, going 71-66 up when Matteo Soragna completed a three-point play from the free-throw line with 3:38 to go.

But France came back as Nicolas Batum made a lay-up and then split a pair of free throws.

Marco Belinelli's dunk put the gap back at four, 73-69, but Batum nailed a three-pointer and France reclaimed the lead when Florent Pietrus followed a Belinelli miss with a jump-shot.

Soragna missed again for Italy and France were three clear on Boris Diaw's lay-up with 50 seconds left.

Andrea Bargnani got it back to one with a hook shot, but Antoine Diot kept France clear with a pair of free throws.

Italy had 20 seconds left to do something, but Luca Vital turned the ball over and Diot made him pay with two more from the charity stripe that made it 80-75.

There was still time for a Belinelli lay-up, but victory belonged to France.

Batum and Pietrus each had 20 points for France, with Batum adding eight points, while Diaw also scored in double figures with 15 points.

Italy wasted 26 points from Belinelli, while Angelo Gigli had 13 and Bargnani 10.

In the night's other AQR game, Bosnia and Herzegovina survived a late Portugal fightback to win 62-56 in Povoa de Varzim.

Bosnia dominated the early going, building a 36-22 lead by half-time, and looked like being comfortable winners.

They extended their lead in the third quarter, but whatever Moncho Lopez said to his players at half-time had clearly had an effect as Portugal began to compete much more effectively.

In the final quarter, Portugal piled on the pressure as they reeled off a 20-9 run that brought them right back into contention, only to fall short at the end.

Nihad Dedovic made four-of-seven (57%) from the field and six-of-nine (67%) at the free-throw line to lead the victors with 15 points.

Ratko Varda added 14 points and Ivan Opacek had 11 points.

Portugal wasted 17 points from Joao Coelho and 12 from Joao Gomes.

In the Relegation Round, Estonia used a stirring late fightback to beat the Czech Republic 69-65

Having trailed in or close to double digits for the vast majority of the game, Estonio turned the game on its head in the final five minutes as Rait Keerles reeled off seven of his 11 points without response.

Hungary were comfortable 91-67 winners over Ukraine after Istvan Nemeth, Marton Fodor and Peter Lorant led the charge in an explosive second-half display.

After a slow start in which Ukraine had made much of the running, the game was nicely poised when Hungary took a 40-37 lead in at half-time.

But things changed drastically - and quickly - in the second half.

Hungary used an 18-5 run to take control and then continued to pull away.

Nemeth finished with 21 points, while Fodor had 17 from six-of-eight (75%) shooting from the field, including a perfect three-of-three from beyond the arc.

FIBA