FIBA World Cup 2019: 3 Talking Points from Philippines vs Italy

#2 Perimeter shooting plays a crucial role

The Philippines connected with just 13% of its three-point attempts, while Italy managed almost 50%

Over the past half a decade the NBA has fully embraced the three, and the opening day of the World Cup hinted that the International game is not far behind. However, the importance of shot selection and quality shooters was also on show during the Philippines' defeat to Italy.

The Philippines started the game 0-7 from beyond the arc as the team struggled to find open looks. Gilas Pilipinas finally connected from downtown in the second period but eventually finished the game shooting just 3-for-23 from three-point range.

Meanwhile, the Italians found space on the perimeter and connected with almost 50% of their attempts from three. The Azzurri finished shooting 15-for-31 from deep and had a trio of the roster connect with at least three attempts from downtown.