By Nikos Varlas / varlas@eurohoops.net
Italy was unstoppable in the third quarter (17-32) and beat the Czech Republic 70-85 to claim the ticket for the 2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, whereas the Czechs will now face Latvia on Friday afternoon, with the winner securing the final spot on the tournament.
With a 20-10 run in the third quarter, Simone Pianigiani’s squad was in front by 15 points and extended it to 20 (54-74) after 30 minutes in the game. The Czech Republic tried to make a big comeback, they cut the deficit to 13 points twice (63-76, 68-81), however they came up short at the end and the Italians had no problem to earn the easy victory.
Andrea Bargnani was the top scorer for the winners with 21 points, with three more players being in double digits as well, whereas Jan Vesely was impressive for the losing team and made a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
It was a close derby between the two squads in the first quarter, as Danilo Gallinari tied the game with three seconds to go (21-21). In the second quarter, none of the teams could take a six or more-point advantage, with Italy retaining a small lead and ending the first half in front by five (37-42).
Italy entered the second half determined to win the match and did exactly that. With a 20-10 run, they took a 15-point advantage (47-62) and never looked back. In addition, they extended it to 20 points (54-74) at the end of the third quarter, as they outscored their opponents 17-32.
In the last quarter, the Czech Republic tried to fight back and cut the deficit to 13 points (63-76, 68-81), but Italy remained solid, retained the lead to double digits to earn the win and advance to the Qualifying Tournament.