#FIBAWC: Gilas drop opener with a disastrous display against Italy

NOT EVEN CLOSE.

Italy gave the ultimate lesson to the Philippines as they return to the FIBA Basketball World Cup with a bang following a 108-62 beatdown in Foshan, China Saturday evening.

The Azzuri did not give Gilas a chance just five minutes in, clamping them down in the very first quarter where they only limited them to just eight points for an emphatic win in Group D.

Meo Sacchetti's side shot the lights out from downtown Foshan, hitting 15/31 for 48.4 shooting from the field, while Gilas missed 17 straight tries before Kiefer Ravena ended the drought in the fourth where the game was already decided.

Gilas would wound up with just 3/23 from beyond the arc, and  39.1% from the field as team.

Luigi Datome and Amedeo Della Valle had 17 points apiece to lead Italy, while Danilo Gallinari added 16 as they got a winning return after a thirteen year wait, with their most recent World Cup happened in Japan in 2006.

Coach Yeng Guiao's Gilas were caught by surprise early in the first as they have never recovered from the early blitz.

Andray Blatche and newbie CJ Perez had 15 for the Filipinos to go bottom of the Group D alongside Angola, who bowed to Serbia by the same margin earlier in the day. 

The Scores:
ITALY 108 – Datome 17, Della Valle 17, Gallinari 16, Belinelli 9, Tessitori 9, Biligha 8, Brooks 8, Filloy 7, Hackett 7, Gentile 6, Abass 2, Vitali 2
PHILIPPINES 62 – Blatche 15, Perez 15, Fajardo 9, Bolick 6, Ravena 5, Aguilar 2, Almazan 2, Barroca 2, Lee 2, Rosario 2, Pogoy 2, Norwood 0
Quarter scores: 37-8, 62-24, 85-39, 108-62

(photo by FIBA)