Doncic Drops 42 as Slovenia Holds Off Italy to Reach EuroBasket 2025 Quarterfinals
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RIGA, Latvia — Luka Doncic delivered another standout international performance on Sept. 7, scoring 42 points to lift Slovenia past Italy, 84-77, in a FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Round of 16 matchup at Arena Riga.
The Dallas Mavericks guard set the tone immediately, fueling a 29-11 first quarter that gave Slovenia a cushion it never relinquished. Doncic poured in 30 points before halftime, but Italy answered by taking the second period 29-21 to narrow the gap.
Slovenia maintained control after the break, surviving several Italian rallies and advancing to the quarterfinals. Doncic finished with 42 points, 10 rebounds and three steals while shooting 11-for-19 from the field, 5-for-11 from beyond the arc and 15-for-16 at the free-throw line.
Klemen Prepelic provided 11 points as Slovenia’s only other double-figure scorer. Offensive rebounding proved decisive: Slovenia generated 10 additional shot attempts, offsetting Italy’s superior overall field-goal percentage.
Simone Fontecchio led Italy with 22 points. Saliou Niang added 11 and Danilo Gallinari contributed 10 in the loss.
Quarterfinal matchup set
With the win, Slovenia moves on to face Germany in Wednesday’s quarterfinal. Germany advanced by defeating Portugal in its Round of 16 contest.
Source: LakersNation.com
