Italy overwhelmed by cyclone Doncic loses challenge to Slovenia

Italy failed to recover in the final against Slovenia and lost the EuroBasket round of 16 match 84-77. The match played at the Xiaomi Arena in Riga, Latvia, put up for grabs access to the quarter-finals against Germany and the national team of coach Gianmarco Pozzecco and Danilo Gallinari - both in the closing credits with Italbasket - paid the price for the start of a monstrous Luka Doncic, who shot outstanding percentages in the first half and scored 30 of Slovenia's total of 50 points.

The Italian defence had difficulty containing the Slovenian's three-point shots and penetrations, suffering partials that allowed the opponents to immediately accumulate a significant lead, but it reared its head again thanks to a 29-point second quarter that redeemed the first ten minutes that were blocked with a scoreboard that scored just 11. Doncic took refuge in the locker room between the first and second quarters, showing a bit of a limp on his return. But the treatment he received put him back on his feet, so much so that he returned to the parquet almost immediately..

In the second half, however, the Slovenian phenomenon slowed down and finished with 42 total points, adding 10 rebounds. The Azzurri responded with pride with Fontecchio (22 points on the scoreboard), Melli, Gallinari (10 points), Diouf and, above all, the young Niang (12 points and great energy on the court), who repelled the rebounds and threes of the other Slovenian shooters Aleksej Nikolić and Klemen Prepelič, and twice had the chance to tie the game at 75-78, but they failed with Spissu and Pajola on the decisive shot and were unable to complete the comeback.

The Azzurri ended the group stage in second place in Group C with a record of four wins and one loss, the only one coming against Greece. The group showed an effective choral game, being the team with the best defence of the tournament, having limited the opponents to only 6.4 three-point attempts and less than 5 points in transition per game and with a starring Simone Fontecchio, averaging 15.6 points per game and a 37.9% percentage from beyond the arc..

Slovenia, European champions in 2017, on the other hand, had come to this match after finishing Group D in third place with three consecutive victories, recovering from a difficult start. The beacon of the team, not to mention Dončić. The Los Angeles Lakers star shone in the group stage with extraordinary performances, averaging 32.4 points per game, making him the best scorer in the continental tournament.