Italy hard-pressed to win vs Gilas after shock loss to Dominican Republic

MANILA, Philippines – World No. 10 Italy will quickly shift their focus to their final group stage game against Gilas Pilipinas after absorbing an upset loss at the hands of the Dominican Republic, 87-82, in their Group A clash in the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Sunday.

In what could be a do-or-die clash for a spot in the next round, Italy’s Luigi Datome said there will be no time to lament this loss with a quick turnaround against Gilas.

“Yes well, at this stage, you know, there’s no time for depression, no time for euphoria.” Datome said after the game. 

“We’re old enough, everybody [already] went through important games, everybody played against [a] tough home court. [It’s] gonna be exciting, I think, [it’s] gonna be a nice atmosphere and all the players love to play in a nice atmosphere.” he added.

Just like against the Dominican Republic, where Italy clashed with Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, there will be an NBA-caliber challenge when they face the Philippines in the form of Jordan Clarkson.

While Datome said there will be an emphasis on stopping the Utah Jazz guard, they also will not be caught over defending him, with the rest of the team also capable of hurting the Italians.

“Of course, the Philippines, like the Dominican Republic, have a single great player and all around them there’s a good team. So for sure, it’s very important to limit this player, you cannot stop them, they’re so good, you can only limit them with teamwork and [also] pay attention to the others because they are all good players,” he said.

“[We’ll] have a game plan, try to execute it, stick with it and at the end of the day, we try to do the same thing.”

As of press time, Gilas Pilipinas and Angola figure in the other Group A match here at Araneta. Regardless of the result, the Philippines will still be in contention for a spot in the next round when they face Italy on Tuesday, August 29.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic placed themselves in pole position to win Group A with their 2-0 record. 

They face Angola in their final group stage match also on Tuesday.