MANILA — Paolo Banchero aided in Team USA’s huge statement win against Italy after suffering a shocking defeat against Lithuania.

Despite scoring only eight points alongside five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, the 20-year-old former No.1 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft had his fingerprints all over their 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup quarterfinals win against the Italians.

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“It was awesome,” Banchero, who is of Italian descent, said on going up against the squad he previously expressed his commitment to play for.

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“They were a good team. Just to get out there, I know some of the coaches, some of the players, so just to get out there and compete, it was awesome.”

More than winning against Italy, the Americans not only bounced back from their previous loss against Lithuania but were also able to book a ticket to the tournament’s semifinal stage on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

And for Banchero, what made wonders for them was their defense that limited Italy to making only 23 out of their 75 overall field goal attempts.

“You see what that results in,” he said, speaking on their much-improved effort on the defensive end.

“Not saying we’re going to blow out teams in the semifinals, but when you bring that energy on defense, we’re hard to deal with. When we’re lackadaisical, when you let teams run their stuff, situations like Lithuania happen. Guys get confident and they get into a rhythm.”

“So when we’re able to take teams out of rhythm, like I said, the offense is always going to be here. We’ve got All-NBA guys, guys on the floor who can play offense so as long as the defense is there, we know that the other end is always going to be there,” he added.

Team USA will be looking to retain their defensive intensity once again for they will be facing either Germany, who is on a five-game win streak in this year’s tournament, or Latvia, who has posted upsets against perennial powerhouses Spain and France, in the next round.

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