By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
A comfortable 69-48 win for Italy in front of the Israeli crowd, which was masterfully paced by Marco Belinelli and Luigi Datome.
The star: Who else? Belinelli toyed with Israel’s perimeter defense in the first half, scoring 5 out of his 7 attempted threes. He finished the game with 18 points.
The turning point: Gigi Datome‘s contribution of threes in the beginning of the second half played a crucial role for Italy, that could enjoy a sufficient lead (51-41) by the end of the third quarter. One more three that came from Daniel Hackett early in the final period made things even tougher for the hosts of Group B.
Key players: Datome finished with 16 points, Ariel Filloy scored 12, while Nicolo Melli contributed 9 points and 10 rebounds.
(Photo credit: FIBA.basketball)