It is the day of the first and last appearance of the Lord Azzurri In pre-Olympic Italy. This evening at 7pm, at PalaTrento, Georgia Shengelia and Bitadze’s players will immediately test the defense in the area and rebound control of coach Bozeko’s team.
Tottenham big man Sandro Mamukelashvili is out.
Formations
Italy: Spiso, Mannion, Abbas, Tonotte, Gallinari, Meli, Ricci, Bortolani, Cazarin, Caruso, Polonara, Pagola, Petrocelli; Coach Busico
Georgia: Andronikashvili, Gencharadze, Sanadze, Kursantia, Vivadze, Kakushadze, Shengelia, Maziashvili, Tomasson, Bitadze, Uchhikidze, Londaridze; Coach Djikic
First Quarter
Spiso, Tonot, Petrocelli, Polonara, Milli vs Ochhikidze, Sanadze, Vivadze, Shengelia, Bitadze
Immediately, the Georgia striker rebounded and Vivadze’s three-pointer came from the corner, 2/2 Bitadze after a foul error. The NBA center also gets punished from the arc and just 122 inches after the timeout for Italy. Melli scored the first Italian points. Comprehensive defense of the guests, beaten by Tunot in the first move, then Bitadze again from close range, but the hat-trick from Polonara when Meli reopens worth -3 Another assist from the captain, between the legs, for a Speso bomb, even if Shengelia responds to Immediately to get 10-13 from Mannion and Gallinari, again called on by Melli, then the first points in the breakthrough of Joe Gallinari 1/2, and Thomason’s hat-trick at the end of the 24′. Pagula increases the pressure: he recovers the ball and provides the assist to Mannion on the counterattack, then finds Gallinari fouls Shengelia and makes it 2/2 this time. The shot in the corner is still fatal for the Italian defense and another Georgian bomb makes it 17-21 Shengelia slips between Gallinari and Ricci to put up a +6, while Abbas was not so lucky at the siren. 17-23
Second Quarter
Crushes by Gallinari and Ricci and assists from Pagula and Mannion. The first chance to overtake was stopped by the iron. The visitors’ penetration leads to two free throws, while Bitadze hits Ricci with a shot from the arc: 2/3. Counterattack for Italy and Petrocelli equalizes. Another chance to go forward, but Spissu misses and Ricci commits his third foul on the rebound. A milli comes in front of me from a distance; Bitadze responds immediately. Shengelia beats Polonara and on the second attempt finds the new advantage for Georgia, but finds Tonut’s smart choice: hack, immediately foul and 2/2 thanks to the bonus. The number 7 also leads a counter-attack that leads to Polonara’s intervention. It goes through Tomasson and the timeout is at 2’17”. I extend the gap to +5 with a Meli hat-trick in the transition, which makes up for the previous volley, then a scene on the Meli-Tonot-Polunara axis, with the winning close by Virtocino we again see one of the Georgians offloading Loaded into the corner, but at the siren the shot was on the edge. 37-30
Third fourth
Sanadze hits from the outside around the 24″, Petrocelli rewards his excellent understanding with Meli from the goal line. Bad foul by Gallinari on Bitadze, who scores but does not complete the 2+1. Gallo concedes another free throws, is beaten in the dribble by Shengelia, With Virtussino stopped at 1/2, Bitadze imitates again soon after and reduces to -2, but Italy does not split and with Gallinari always finds points with the clock stopped in defence, as Spissu also gives a goal and one that Shengelia converts to 42-41 The Italians with Mannion’s float and Tonut’s 2+1.
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