Entering the second round of the 2019 FIBA World Cup tournament the Italian Team and OKC Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari began their second phase facing the power house Spanish Team.
Like the final game of the first round the Italian’s came up short losing 67 to 60. Like the loss to the Serbian’s this Spanish team featured one of the elite teams expected to medal or potentially win the tournament.
This match was a closely fought battle with the teams playing to an 18 – 18 first-quarter tie. The second quarter featured the Italian squad taking a one-point lead following a 12 to 13 point effort.