Italy Mounts Comeback to Edge Serbia
Emma Giacchetti spearheaded a decisive Italian surge in the closing stages to overcome Serbia 64-60 at the FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket.
In a fiercely contested affair at the Alytus Arena, Italy demonstrated remarkable resilience to clinch the win. Serbia had held a five-point lead at halftime (36-31), a margin that had dwindled to just two points (46-44) entering the final period.
Despite shooting just 33% from the field (21/63), Italy leveraged their 14 assists and tenacious defense, which held Serbia to a 28% shooting clip (18/64). The Italians also enjoyed a significant contribution from their bench, outscoring Serbia's reserves 26-22. Lana Maric starred for Serbia with an impressive double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds, adding 4 steals and a block, while Emma Zuccon grabbed 14 rebounds for Italy, chipping in 9 points and 2 assists.
Giacchetti's 16-point, 6-assist performance proved pivotal, as did Anita Franchini's 2 blocks off the bench. Italy thus sealed a crucial victory, making a statement in the tournament.