Italy bags Trentino Cup over China

The summer international tournaments are underway and Italy secured some gold with victory over China in the final of the Trentino Cup. The commanding 87-58 in the deciding game and allowed Italy to lift the trophy in it home competition.

The hosts led from start to finish, highlighting the gulf in class through a stunning first quarter, plundering 29 points and stopping China at 9 points. The effective hoops cooled in the second frame, allowing the Asian team to pull the deficit back to 30-45 at halftime, still a 15 point gap at the long break. The Azzurri were unfazed and went on a blazing 27-15 run the third quarter to secure a 72-45 advantage through thirty minutes. The home team simply had too much and saw the game through in the fourth quarter.

Marco Belinelli led Italy with a game high 19 points, while Danilo Gallinari added 17 points, and Riccardo Cervi 12 points to the win.

Wang Zhelin paced the losing effort with 15 points, followed by Ding Yanyuhang with 11 points.