Basketball, Italy-Slovenia 71-90: Doncic ruins the first of Pozzecco ct

by our correspondent Andrea Tosi

June 25
– TRIESTE

The debut of the new coach Pozzecco ends 90-71 for Slovenia, now the black beast of Italy, but the applause is all for him, the prodigal son who has returned to Trieste, where he grew up without ever playing at a high level. The very dear Poz is the protagonist, more than Luka Doncic, the Nba superstar that Slovenia brings back to the field together with the brothers Goran and Zoran Dragic to make the break-in in view of the next European Championship. Pozzecco’s first Italy, on the other hand, is a little more than experimental team, without his big names, with 4 rookies to follow. Among these Petrucelli and Severini start in the starting quintet with positive results.

the match

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In the first quarter the Azzurri keep up well with the flights of Polonara (his first basket, with a dunk, of the Poz era) and Spissu. On the other hand, the two Dragics want to play while Doncic starts in the surplace by sowing some pearls of talent and a few too many mistakes. Then in the second Slovenia takes over, Doncic goes up with blows, a steal by Woldetensae that snatches the ball from him in the dribble and goes to score stimulates him in pride and so the ace from Dallas sets up on his own expanding the offensive production of the his team. Poz rotates 12 of the 14 players available, Slovenia instead insists a lot with its caliphs, among them also Tobey, Muric and the former Treviso-born Nikolic so the gap opens and at the interval the visiting team touches a comfortable +16. In fact, the game ends here. In the second half, Poz gives space to everyone, the Azzurri’s game is disunited while Slovenia continues to hammer by touching +29 (48-77) at the third siren. Before the end there is the last show of Doncic and a good moment of Leo Okeke, last in line to enter the field, the youngest with his 18 years, long of Nigerian origin with a physique and two hands that promise well, like the 13 points of Woldetensae, top scorer on the first night of the Poz.
Italy: Woldetensae 13, Polonara 12, Spissu 8
Slovenia: Doncic 12, G. Dragic 11, Muric 9