Italian
The men’s national basketball team wins against Lithuania thanks to an incredible comeback, 87-84. Incredible last five minutes from Mannion, Tonut, and Procida
BOLOGNA – How can one describe a match like this? A first half that was quite balanced, with Lithuania almost always in the lead but ending with Italy ahead by 3. The +10 at the start of the third quarter, then the strong comeback from the opponents who equalized at 57.
Finally, an epic last period of play with the Lithuanians reaching their maximum lead at 63-76. It seems all over, with just over 4 minutes left, Tubelis is unstoppable. The guests are already smiling, convinced of victory. Then Tonut recovers a ball (one of many), Nico Mannion delivers his greatest performance in the blue jersey (27 points). Procida scores two consecutive dunks.
There are two minutes left and we are already at -4. The Azzurri are literally unstoppable, nothing gets through anymore. Mannion scores the two free throws for the equalizer with 62″ left. Jakucionis commits an offensive foul on a monumental Tessitori, still in great form like in the championship playoffs.
It’s still the Italian-American goblin who hits the three-pointer for 87-84. It’s over. An incredible run of 24-8. All of this against a Lithuania almost at full strength with all its champions, unlike the Azzurri who are missing Fontecchio, Niang, and Sarr, just to name a few.
Italy is first in Group D of the first phase of Qualification for the FIBA World Cup 2027, ahead of the Lithuanians and Iceland (which won against Great Britain 86-88). The latter was the only team able to defeat them in Tortona.
Now the path of the blues will see them face the top three teams from Group C in the second phase of the Qualifiers, namely Turkey (already certain of first place), Serbia, and Bosnia.
The statements
The words of the president of FIP Giovanni Petrucci: “This is truly the victory of humility, this is Italy today but we remain grounded.”
The comment from Gabriele Procida: “Before the game, the coach told us that we needed to be more of a team than them. I think we proved that: we never gave up throughout the game, even when we were down by 10 points in the last three minutes. We didn’t surrender, we played really hard and scored easy baskets. But the most important thing is that we did what the coach asked us: to be more of a team than them.”
The analysis from coach Ramondino: “Yes, this is the greatest honor of my career. Unfortunately, the circumstances that led me to coach the team in this window are what they are, but the path laid out by coach Banchi – not only with the work done in previous gatherings but also with everything he is doing to expand the group of players as much as possible – has been fundamental. I believe that, despite the many absences, we managed to build this group precisely thanks to the path laid out by coach Banchi and Gigi Datome. And even with many differences and inconsistencies, these guys became a team almost immediately. Beyond Valančiūnas or the small lineup, Lithuania really threw everything at us during the game. I believe that each time our guys were good at making the right adjustments on the fly, which is the hardest thing to do. It is clear, however, that this really drained us: while we were engaged in a tough battle – with each player in their position having to counteract weight and height – we were also trying, from a strategic point of view, not to give up or to maintain the initiative. All of this led us to be on our knees in the last 5-6 minutes. In the end, this is a game where you not only have to know things, you have to apply them. So a big shout-out and great credit to our guys. From an emotional and dedication standpoint, it was easy for me to coach this team.”
The scorecard
Italy-Lithuania 87-84 (22-25, 18-12, 19-24, 28-23)
Italy: Mannion* 27 (2/5, 4/8), Candi* 5 (0/1, from three), Tonut* 10 (3/3, 1/3), Tessitori* 5 (2/8, 1/2), Ricci (0/1, 0/1), Spagnolo 14 (5/9, 4/4), Procida 9 (2/3, 1/3), Ferrari* 3 (1/2 from three), Baldasso 6 (3/4), Rossato ne, Akele 6 (3/3), Emejuru 7 (3/5, 1/3). Coach: Ramondino
Lithuania: Blazevic (0/1, 0/2), Normantas 5 (1/3, 1/4), Velicka (0/1 from three), Tarolis (0/2 from three), Radzevicius 7 (2/3, 0/1), Brazdeikis 8 (1/7, 2/2), Tubelis 25 (9/12, 0/3), Buzelis 6 (1/1, 4/4), Valanciunas 9 (2/5, 5/6), Jogela, Jakucionis 10 (2/5, 1/2), Sargiunas 14 (3/4, 2/8). Coach: Kurtinaitis
Two-point shots Ita 23/41, Lit 21/41; Three-point shots Ita 7/27, Lit 6/23; Free throws Ita 20/25, Lit 24/29. Rebounds Ita 31 (Akele 7), Lit 47 (Tubelis 12). Assists Ita 15 (Mannion 5), Lit 14 (Brazdeikis 5).
Fouled out: Akele (Italy), Jakucionis (Lithuania)
Referees: Antonio Conde (Spain), Valentin Oliot (France), Elvis Binders-Coders (Latvia).
Attendance: 4,508
Technical fouls: Matas Buzelis and the Italy bench
Photo Credits: Fip.it
