Luka Doncic Scores 42 as Slovenia Beat Italy to Reach FIBA EuroBasket Quarterfinals
On the heels of a pair of big upsets in the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket, Slovenia and star guard Luka Dončić narrowly avoided the same fate as they held on to beat Italy 84-77 in the round of 16.
From the opening tip, Dončić set the tone. He accounted for 30 of Slovenia's 50 first-half points.
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The Los Angeles Lakers star briefly went to the locker room to be examined for a potential injury, and Italy capitalized on his absence to close the deficit a bit.
Slovenia was up 50-40 at halftime, having led by as many as 19 points earlier in the half. But with Dončić back on the floor, Italy was unable to build much momentum as the third quarter got started.
Gianmarco Pozzecco's squad mounted another comeback midway through the fourth and nearly erased Slovenia's lead entirely. Simone Fontecchio's jumper with 1:53 on the clock made it a 78-77 game.
Dončić sank a pair of clutch free throws before Italy's next two possessions ended in a shot clock violation and a missed layup by Fontecchio. The latter resulted in a Luka rebound, and he nailed two more free throws after Italy was forced to foul.
That provided Slovenia with enough breathing room to see out the victory.
Dončić was unable to keep up the blistering pace he set in the first half but did record a double-double with 42 points and 10 rebounds. He also had three steals.
Klemen Prepelič (11 points) was the only other Slovenian to score in double figures. Calling this a game a one-man show by Luka would be shortchanging his teammates somewhat, but he was head and shoulders the best player out there Sunday.
Fontecchio's 22 points paced Italy, while Nicolò Melli filled out the stat sheet with eight points, six boards, three assists and four steals.
Slovenia will meet Germany on Wednesday in the next round. The Germans won all five of their group games and hammered Portugal by 27 points in the round of 16. The 2022 bronze medalists are firing on all cylinders in pursuit of their first EuroBasket title since 1993.
