Photo: FIBA

Italy bounced back from a slow start to edge Spain 67-63, clinching a spot in the Round of 16 at FIBA EuroBasket 2025.

The Italians had already secured advancement prior to the matchup thanks to Georgia’s 3-1 win over Cyprus, marking their fifth straight tournament moving past the group stage.

Italy’s victory also extends their strong record against Spain, having won 11 of the last 13 meetings and only five of 20 overall. Spain, on the other hand, dropped to 2-2 and faces a challenging path to reach the knockout stage.

Turning Point

Spain stormed out to a 13-0 lead, but Italy quickly regrouped, tying the game at 25-25. At halftime, Spain maintained a narrow 36-30 lead. Italy overtook the Spanish 49-47 after three quarters and held on in a tightly contested fourth.

Sergio De Larrea’s free throw gave Spain a 63-62 lead with 81 seconds remaining, but Marco Spissu sank two free throws with 31 seconds left and added two more with 14 seconds to secure the win.

TCL Player of the Game

Mouhamet Diouf powered Italy with 14 points in just 19 minutes, grabbing 8 rebounds and adding a steal. Saliou Niang recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds in 15 minutes before exiting due to an ankle injury.

Santi Aldama contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Sergio De Larrea finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Stats Don’t Lie

Italy struggled from beyond the arc, shooting only 24 percent, but limited turnovers to just eight. Their defense held Spain to 32 percent shooting and exploited the Spanish team’s weak free-throw shooting, which ended at 59 percent (13-of-22).

Bottom Line

Italy approaches their final Group C game against Cyprus with confidence, having already secured progression. Spain faces a crucial match against Greece, knowing a win is essential to guarantee a place in the Round of 16.

They Said

“Starting 13-0 down is not such a big issue but the problem was we didn’t score for 7 minutes. You can be down 13 points after 7 minutes, like 20-7. But 13-0. That is a disaster. You lose your confidence completely. But those guys never gave up. And we qualified.” – Gianmarco Pozzecco, Italy

“It’s not easy after 13-0 in the first quarter, but I love my teammates because we never give up. We were fighting and helping each other, even in the tough moments. We just kept going and playing together and we got the win.” – Mouhamet Diouf, Italy

“I am so happy about the game and how we fought. It wasn’t easy against this team. Everybody can beat everybody, so it was a tough game. And I am happy we won.” – Marco Spissu, Italy

“It was a very close game and maybe their experience made the difference at the end. This is not a game to get depressed about but to build on it because we fought against a really high level team and we were two or three little details from getting it.” – Sergio Scariolo, Spain

“We played a great game but not good enough. It’s just one of those games where it’s gonna be long. The second half was super long and they tried to muck up the game and play their game. We took good shots and missed some we would normally make. It’s tough to digest in five minutes because we just lost. I think we did a pretty decent job. We have another game so we just have to go out there and die against Greece.” – Santi Aldama, Spain

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR