Giannis-less Greece too much for Italy; Valanciunas, Tubelis dominant for Lithuania

ATHENS (Greece) – It was a version of hide and seek, as FIBA EuroBasket Group C rivals Greece and Italy faced off in Athens.

The hosts played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Sloukas and Dinos Mitoglou, while Italy gave Danilo Gallinari some rest in a closely contested battle.

It finished 76-74, coach Vassilis Spanoulis enjoying a monster third quarter which saw Greece turn a 10-point deficit into a 5-point advantage. Italy had a chance to force overtime with 10 seconds on the game clock, but Marco Spissu’s three-pointer rimmed out, allowing Tyler Dorsey to seal the deal from the charity stripe.

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Top performers: It was a balanced offensive output for Greece, with Tyler Dorsey getting a team-high 14 points. Kostas Papanikolaou turned back the clock, hitting three three-pointers en route to 11 points.

Simone Fontecchio scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half, but two other players deserve a special mention.

Saliou Niang’s hustle did not go unnoticed, finishing with 14 points and 6 rebounds, while Darius Thompson had 6 steals in 25 minutes of playing time.

Up next: The Italians are done with the friendly games this summer, picking up a 4-2 record, and coach Gianmarco Pozzecco is taking his team to Cyprus next. Incidentally, their next game will once again be against Greece on Day 1 of FIBA EuroBasket 2025 action in Group C next Thursday.

Meanwhile, Greece will play one more game in Athens before flying to Limassol. They take on France on Sunday in the final preparation game for both teams.

OTHER GAMES

Lithuania 96-83 Iceland

Size matters. With Azuolas Tubelis and Jonas Valanciunas starting, it was clear Lithuania will have the upper hand under the rims, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds midway through the second quarter already.

Once they started hitting outside shots, there was always going to be just one winner in this one (96-83). Tubelis counted to 16 before the break, finishing with 23 points in 19 minutes on 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range, while Valanciunas had 16 points in 17 minutes on 2-of-2 shooting from the same distance.

Iceland lost the rebounding battle 49-32, but they had six men in double digits led by Martin Hermannsson’s 13.

Estonia 62-72 Great Britain

Plenty of people who followed the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers warned about Estonia’s style of play and their shooting habits, suggesting they could be tough to beat on their day.

The question is what happens when they are not having their day, and the answer is: They only score 27 at the half at home, go 0-of-12 from beyond the arc in 20 minutes and find themselves trailing by 12 points against Great Britain.

They finished the game shooting 3-of-28, Great Britain took care of business with ease, winning the game 72-62 with Akwasi Yeboah’s 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Matthias Tass had 15 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort.

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