Thank you all.
Thank you all for joining us in this intense duel with an exciting ending, it has been a pleasure to be with all of you. See you all again!
ITALY ENTERS THE TOP 8 TEAMS IN THE WORLD
4Q |1:04 Italy 70-57 Puerto Rico
Nicolo Melli's layup to give Italy a 13-point lead;
4Q |2:36 Italy 66-57 Puerto Rico
Nine ahead for Italy with just over two minutes to go, Nicolo Melli scored the first free throw, but missed the second.
4Q |4:46 Italy 65-53 Puerto Rico
Again +12 for the Italian National Team after Giampaolo Ricci's basket.
4Q |6:25 Italy 62-50 Puerto Rico
Italy is now up by 12 after Giampaolo Ricci's three-pointer;
4Q |8:23 Italy 57-47 Puerto Rico
Giampaolo Ricci's triple and a reaction from the Puerto Rican bench, which calls for a timeout.
4Q |9:54 Italy 54-47 Puerto Rico
Luigi Datome's triple starts the last quarter
3Q |00:00 Italy 51-47 Puerto Rico
Four up Italy at the end of the third quarter, all to play for in an exciting last quarter.
3Q |2:36 Italy 46-43 Puerto Rico
Luigi Datome's three-pointer to give Italy a three-point lead
Stefano Tonut's dunk
3Q |4:27 Italia 41-43 Puerto Rico
Stephen Thompson's three-pointer puts Puerto Rico ahead. Italy's coach calls for a timeout
3Q |6:07 Italy 41-38 Puerto Rico
The score has not changed in these last two minutes and Italy is still in the lead.
3Q |8:02 Italy 41-38 Puerto Rico
George Conditt's dunk, which brings Puerto Rico back to within three points;
Tremont Waters' gift after this play
3Q |10:00 Italy 39-36 Puerto Rico
The third quarter starts with possession for Puerto Rico;
2Q |00:00 Italy 39-36 Puerto Rico
Tremont Waters' layup at the buzzer and Italy goes to the break with a three-point lead;
2Q |2:00 Italy 36-33 Puerto Rico
2+1 by Isaiah Pineiro and Puerto Rico gets within three points in the scoreboard
2Q |4:33 Italy 32-25 Puerto Rico
Nicolo Melli scores to give Italy a seven-point lead;
2Q | 6:27 Italy 30-22 Puerto Rico
Ismael Romero's layup to bring Puerto Rico within eight points;
2Q |8:33 Italy 27-20 Puerto Rico
Christopher Ortiz scores both free throws to bring Puerto Rico within seven points;
2Q |10:00 Italy 25-15 Puerto Rico
The second quarter starts with possession for the Italian team;
1Q |00:00 Italy 25-15 Puerto Rico
A 7-0 score for Italy in the last two minutes to take a ten-point lead;
1Q |2:03 Italy 18-15 Puerto Rico
George Conditt's tray for Puerto Rico
1Q |4:16 Italy 15-9 Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico's Tremont Waters scores a triple to close the gap on the scoreboard.
1Q |6:01 Italy 13-4 Puerto Rico
Stefano Tonut's basket that forces Puerto Rico's coach to stop the game with a time-out.
1Q |8:20 Italy 3-4 Puerto Rico
Marco Spissu's triple to score Italy's first basket
1Q |10:00 Italy 0-0 Puerto Rico
The first possession of the match goes to Puerto Rico, after Conditt wins the opening jump;
Starting roster for Puerto Rico
George Conditt
Isaiah Pineiro
Ismael Romero
Stephen Thompson JR
Tremont Waters
Italy's starting roster
Marco Spissu
Stefano Tonut
Simone Fontecchio
Achille Polonara
Nicolò Melli
Results of Puerto Rico in the FIBA World Cup 2023
Puerto Rico has managed to beat South Sudan, Chica and the Dominican Republic, while losing to Serbia;
Results of Italy at the FIBA World Cup 2023
Wins over Serbia, Philippines and Angola, while loss against Dominican Republic
This is how the group is
All teams are with three wins and one loss, so in this last day of the second phase we will know the teams that will be in the quarterfinals.
What is at stake?
Italy and Puerto Rico play each other for a place in the quarterfinals, the winner of this duel will have access to the next round.
WE RETURN
In a few minutes the match between Italy and Puerto Rico kicks off, both the preview and the minute by minute of the match can be followed here on VAVEL
Stay tuned to follow Italy vs. Puerto Rico
In a few moments we will share with you the starting rosters for Italy vs Puerto Rico as well as the latest information from the Smart Arena. Stay tuned to VAVEL's minute-by-minute online coverage of the match.
How to watch Italy vs Puerto Rico?
If you want to watch Italy vs Puerto Rico live, you can follow it on Courtside1891
If you want to watch it online, VAVEL is your best option.
What time is the match Italy vs Puerto Rico?
This is the kick-off time of the match in several countries:
Argentina: 04:00 hrs.
Bolivia: 03:00 hrs.
Brazil: 04:00 hrs.
Chile: 02:00 hrs.
Colombia: 02:00 hrs.
Ecuador: 02:00 hrs.
Spain: 10:00 hrs.
Mexico: 2:00 hrs.
Paraguay: 3:00 hrs.
Peru: 02:00 hrs.
Uruguay: 03:00 hrs.
Greece: 10:00 hrs.
Serbia: 9:00 hrs.
Watch out for this player in Puerto Rico
Tremont Waters, a 25-year-old point guard who plays for the Carolina Giants. He is the player with the best average of assists in this World Cup with a total of 9'3 per game. In addition to 21.8 points and 4.5 rebounds on average. He was decisive against Dominican Republic where he only rested four minutes and managed to score 37 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Watch out for this player in Italy
Simone Fontecchio, a forward who plays in the NBA, plays for the Utah Jazz. The 27-year-old averaged 20 points, 5.3 rebounds and two assists per game in this FIBA 2023 World Cup. He was key in Italy's victory against Serbia, scoring 30 points and playing 33 of the 40 minutes.
How does Puerto Rico arrive?
Puerto Rico needed an overtime to beat South Sudan in their first game of the FIBA World Cup 2023. While in their second match they were unable to beat Serbia. In the third game and playing for a place in the second round, they overcame China. In the Caribbean duel they overcame Dominican Republic and have the pass to the quarterfinals in their hands, they need to beat Italy. They arrived at the World Cup after a preparation where they only managed one victory out of six friendly matches. They managed to qualify for the tenth consecutive time to the world championship after finishing second in the American ranking with eight wins and four losses.
How does Italy arrive?
Italy started with a win over Angola, but suffered an unexpected defeat in the second game against the Dominican Republic. On the third day, they made it to the second round after defeating the Philippines 83-90. In the first game of the second round, the team surprised by defeating Serbia and will qualify for the quarterfinals if it wins against Puerto Rico. Seven friendly matches were played during the preparation where they won in all of them, even against teams like Serbia or Greece.
Background
Seven times these two teams have faced each other and all the duels have ended in favor of the Italian National Team. The last precedent was last August 13 in a friendly match where Italy won 98-65. In 2019 they already faced each other in the World Cup also in the second phase in a duel that was decided in overtime. In addition to the 2006 World Cup with a close score (73-72) and in 1998 (63-68).
The Stadium
The match will be played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, a pavilion located in the Philippines. It was inaugurated in March 1960 and has a capacity of 16500 spectators.
Preview of the match
Italy and Puerto Rico will meet in the last game of the second phase, where the winner will be in the quarterfinals. Both teams are in Group I along with Serbia and the Dominican Republic.
Welcome to VAVEL.COM's coverage of Italy vs Puerto Rico in FIBA World Cup 2023
My name is Manuel Carmona Hidalgo and I will be your antifrion for this match. We will offer you the pre-match analysis and news here on VAVEL.