The Italian National team began its preparation for the 2013 Eurobasket Wednesday with an 85-69 victory over Georgia. Marco Belinelli, one of the newest members of the San Antonio Spurs had the strongest performance of the day.
Belinelli led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field (1-of-2 from three), he also collected 1 assist and stole the ball 3 times.
The Italians used their defense in the first quarter to create some separation from Georgia with a 21-10 lead. The team would take a 10-point lead into halftime. In the third quarter, Belinelli went on his own 6-0 run as the Italians outscored Georgia 26-15 in the quarter to take a 21-point lead in the final period. In the fourth, the Italians were outscored 26-21 but still had such a comfortable margin to hold on for the victory.
Viktor Sanikidze. whom the Spurs hold his draft rights, scored 14 points on 3-of-7 shooting for Georgia. He also collected 4 rebounds and created 2 steals.
Italy will continue its preparation for Eurobasket with a friendly exhibition against Israel on Thursday.
