Italy beats Angola to take early lead in Gilas' FIBA World Cup group

Italy took the early lead in Group A after defeating Angola, 81-67, in the opening game of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup on Friday at the Philippine Arena.

Group A is the group of the Philippine national men's basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, which will be taking on Dominican Republic at the same venue at 8 p.m.

Italy now moves ahead at 1-0 while Gilas and Dominican Republic remain at 0-0 until their clash. Angola is currently last at 0-1.

Read more | FIBA World Cup Preview: A Serbian correspondent breaks down Gilas Pilipinas vs Dominican Republic

Utah Jazz player Simone Fontecchio led Italy with 19 points, though he only shot 1-for-6 from three-point range. Stefano Tonut added 18 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 clip from the free throw line.

The Azurri struggled to connect from long range for most of the game but managed to build an eight-point lead, 65-57 at the 7:36 mark of the fourth quarter thanks to second chance opportunities courtesy of Giampaolo Ricci and Gabriele Procida.

Up to that point, the Europeans had shot just 4-for-28 from three for a 14-percent clip.

Despite Angola's efforts to get back in it, Italy's NBA player Fontecchio, a 6-foot-7 forward, helped his squad maintain the lead by knocking down his 17th point, 69-62.

Angola's Bruno Fernando, who plays for the Atlanta Hawks, responded with a basket on the other end before Ricci finally got his first three-pointer of the game, 72-64.

Childe Dundao then split from the free throw line, 72-65, before the Africans gave up three straight free throws to Stefano Tonut and Nicolo Melli to make it a 10-point game, 75-65.

Fontecchio and Tonut extended the lead to 12 with back-to-back baskets late in the game.

Dundao, a 5-foot-6 point guard, also finished with 19 points to lead Angola. Fernando, meanwhile, finished with 13 points and five rebounds for the African squad.

Italy will next see action against Dominican Republic on Sunday, August 27, at 4 p.m. while Angola returns to the floor opposite Gilas Pilipinas at 8 p.m.

Read more | FIBA World Cup Preview: A Serbian correspondent breaks down Gilas Pilipinas vs Angola

The scores:

Italy 81 - Fontecchio 19, Tonut 18, Ricci 12, Melli 7, Polonara 7, Spissu 5, Datome 4, Pajola 4, Severini 3, Procida 2, Spagnolo 0.

Angola 67 - Dundao 19, Fernando 13, Goncalves 7, Bango 6, Monteiro 6, Domingos 4, De Sousa 4, Francisco 3, Paulo 3, Kokila 2, Fernandes 0.

Quarters: 23-17, 43-40, 61-57, 81-67.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News