By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines – Italy bounced back against the Philippines after taking the loss from the Dominican Republic, and Giampaolo Ricci demonstrated great effort in helping Gianmarco Pozzecco’s team get the final 90-83 victory.
“We wanted to win, it was very important. We take one game at a time. We take this result home, we shouldn’t take for granted this kind of atmosphere and such great fans. We live one day at a time, what it will be we will go after it. We know who we are and we know how much we value. Now we want to win the next one”, the power forward said after scoring 14 points with 4/6 from downtown.
The Olimpia Milano player came back to what gave Italy the upper hand. “It’s a game that gives trust, the self-trust comes back when you win by shooting well. It’s a life full of ups and downs, but we keep playing together. If a shot is built well and we think it’s a good one, we take it. When we made more than four passes, we always made the shot afterward, with Tonut and Pajola who did an incredible job on Jordan Clarkson on defense. Let’s start with this. We play for each other and we have to continue like this”, he added.
Finally, he took some time to talk about the two-day rest ahead of them. “Switch off for a few hours, and getting some rest surely does you well. We’re rounded by games, passing 48 hours watching the others playing after what happened with the Dominican Republic it wasn’t easy. We enjoy this result because we don’t have to take anything for granted. Let’s go from this”, Giampaolo Ricci said.
PHOTO CREDIT: 2023 FIBA World Cup
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