FIBA World Cup 2019: Italians too much for Gilas Pilipinas
Foshan, China – Italy wasted no time in dismantling the Philippines, 108-62, in their first round match held at the Foshan International Sports & Cultural Arena.
The Italians stepped it up six-minute mark with Luigi Datome, Daniel Hackett and Marcio Belinelli anchoring a 19-0 run in the opening period. There was no looking back for Italy from there and practically cruised throughout the match. They led by as much as 53 points, their biggest run of which happened in the third quarter, 105-58.
The biggest story for Gilas Pilipinas was their turnovers and inability to sink it from the three-point territory. They committed 23 turnovers compared to 13 from Italy. The Italians also shot 48-percent from beyond the arc compared to a woeful 13-percent for the Philippines.
Datome and Amedeo Della Valle led Italy with 17 points each while Danilo Gallinari finished with 16 markers. Amedeo Tessitori led the team in rebounds with 8 to go with 9 points.
Andray Blatche and CJ Perez led Gilas Pilipinas with 15 points apiece. Blatche also hauled down 10 rebounds and had the most turnovers in the game with 9.
The Philippines will take a one-day rest before taking on powerhouse Serbia on Monday, September 2. Italy will also take on Angola on the same day at the Foshan International Sports & Cultural Arena.
