MANILA, Philippines – Dominican Republic head coach Nestor Garcia lauded his team for keeping their cool despite being down big early in the game against a heavily favored Italy side in their FIBA World Cup Group A clash Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Dominicans stunned World No. 10 Italy, 86-81, despite a 12-0 start.
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"We followed the plan, we had good attitude," Garcia told reporters after the game.
"We never, at any moment, pressed the panic button. We just kept playing like how we play," he added.
Garcia said that stopping Italy's transition became the game plan for the Dominican Republic.
He bared telling his wards to limit their turnovers in the second half and stop Italy from capitalizing on their turnovers.
Italy took a 12-0 lead to start the game, but the Dominicans upped their ante and uncorked a massive 31-17 third quarter to take control of the game.
The Dominican Republic eventually erected a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter, and Italy tried to chip away the deficit but ultimately came short.
The team also just played at their own pace, Garcia said, as Andres Feliz heated up.
The coach was all praises for Feliz, saying that while he "wants to kill" the team during practice, they play good, which is enough for him.
Feliz, for his part, downplayed his 24-point performance, deflecting credit to his teammates.
The guard shot 7-of-10 from beyond-the-arc. He led the game for the Dominican Republic, along with NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns, who also chipped in 24 points.
The Dominican Republic is the only unblemished team in group A with a 2-0 slate.
They will be facing Angola next.