The Dominican Republic took control of Group A in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 by mounting a comeback from a sluggish beginning to secure an 87-82 victory against Italy.
Adding to the drama, Italian head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco was ejected from the game with 2:20 minutes remaining in the first half, having accumulated his second technical foul (and third overall on the bench).
This ejection led to assistant coach Edoardo Casalone taking over leadership of the team. Notably, Pozzecco had previously been ejected from Italy’s Round of 16 game during the FIBA EuroBasket 2022, where the team successfully rallied under Casalone’s guidance to overcome Serbia
“I think our players played a good game at the beginning,” Edoardo Casalone said. “We were up and we were controlling the game. They came back into the game and that is natural when you play against a good team. Dominican Republic is a good team, they are well coached and have an important player.
“In the third quarter we shot badly. We shot 24 percent (on three-pointers for the game). It happens. But I think we played a great game at the end, getting back into the game and trying to win it. We have to move forward and think that we came back.”
Watch the game highlights between Italy and the Dominican Republic in the First Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023:
