Our team started the game with Thompson, Dozier, Elijah, Ercan, and Poirier in the starting five, and it was Ercan who scored our first points, giving us a 4-2 lead in the opening minute. With baskets from Dozier and Poirier, we led 8-4 by the third minute. Thompson also contributed to the scoreboard, and we entered the TV timeout in the fifth minute with a 12-6 lead. After the break, with points from Dozier and Elijah, we maintained our advantage and reached the eighth minute leading 16-12. In the last two minutes of the quarter, we made good use of the paint with Smits and Oturu, and closed the first 10 minutes of the game with a 22-14 lead.

We started the second quarter with a basket in the paint from Smits, pushing the lead into double digits for the first time: 24-14. In this stretch, we scored consecutively through Nwora and Oturu, and by the 15th minute, the score was 39-22. While Smits and Poirier continued to score inside, our captain Larkin hit a three-pointer, taking us into the final minute of the half with a 49-33 lead. We couldn't score in the remaining time, and finished the first half ahead 49-37.

We opened the second half with baskets from Thompson and Larkin, increasing our lead to 15 points by the 23rd minute: 56-41. After Ercan’s points in the paint and another fast-break basket from Thompson, the score was 62-49 by the 25th minute. A mid-range jumper from Larkin brought it to 64-49, but within the next two minutes, the lead was cut to eight, 64-56, prompting coach Luca Banchi to call a timeout. After the break, Smits made one of two free throws, making it 65-58 in the 28th minute. Dozier and Elijah then each knocked down a three-pointer, ending the third quarter with a 71-64 lead.

In the final period, our first points came from Dozier at the free-throw line: 73-69. Larkin added four more free throws, and we held a 77-73 lead by the 34th minute. After a powerful dunk by Nwora and a close-range basket from Elijah, we entered the final 3:30 with an 81-73 advantage. Dozier’s basket with 2:30 to go pushed the lead back into double digits: 83-73. We maintained our dominance in the remaining time, and with final contributions from Larkin and Smits, we secured an 87-77 victory.