Italbasket women, clear path to Euro2023
Blue Women make it 6 out of 6 in the qualifying round for Euro2023
Winning today in Freiburg against Switzerland (63-79), the Women’s National Team ended the round of the EuroBasket Women 2023 Qualifiers undefeated.
The top scorer was Olbis Andrè with 16 points, also in double figures were Martina Bestagno (14), Costanza Verona (10) and Cecilia Zandalasini (10).
Ljubljana will host the EuroBasket Women group draw on March 8: along with Italy, 10 teams have already qualified, namely France, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, Spain and Latvia, along with host countries Israel and Slovenia. The top six teams ranked at the European Championship will then enter the Pre-Olympic tournament, scheduled for February 2024 ahead of the Paris Olympic Games.
Coach Lardo said after the game, “Congratulations to Switzerland, which certainly played its best game of the Qualifiers today. In the first half their energy put us in trouble, in the last quarter we defended more aggressively and moved the ball better. The two basic principles for the basketball we want to play. Certainly at the European Championship we won’t be able to afford these slumps.”
Compared to Luxembourg, the quintet does not change (Verona, Spreafico, Zandalasini, Keys, Bestagno) but compared to the challenge of three days ago the game remains in balance for 35 minutes. The first quarter ends on +2 for the hosts (21-19), thanks to the excellent outside shooting percentages (4/7 from 3) of the Helvetians and demerit of a revised defensive application of the Azzurre.
In the second quarter, Switzerland touches the maximum lead on 28-23 with Schwarz’s triple, immediate and providential the Azzurra response with the 9-0 inspired by the points of Verona and Keys (28-32) At the long interval it goes on 33-36, with Constantin’s magic at the buzzer. Hurting us were Herminjard and Schwarz, both on 8, with Switzerland holding on to 60% on 3-point shooting.
In the third quarter, the script does not change: Italy cannot get away and every time it takes a 4 or 5 point lead it is regularly taken back by Herminjard and her teammates. Bestagno puts up 12 points in 10 minutes but it is not enough to stretch decisively and in the last quarter we enter with a lead that is far from reassuring (51-56).
Spreafico’s triple brings us to +7 for the first time in the game (54-61), then Andrè capitalizes on a splendid assist from Zandalasini and gives us a double-digit lead (57-68) with 4′ to the last buzzer. In the last minutes, finally, the Azzurre melt away: by Romeo the basket of the +16 (59-75), then it is again Andrè to replenish their personal loot.
Italy wins, 6-0 in the Qualifiers.
