Italy coach Carlo Recalcati refused to be downhearted after his side slipped to an 82-74 defeat to world and European champions Serbia & Montenegro and instead expressed his relief over the performances of point guard Massimo Bulleri.

The two sides were playing on Wednesday night in the Efes Pilsen Istanbul World Cup 2, a prestigious warm-up tournament for next month’s European Championships.

Recalcati has been waiting on Bulleri, one of the finest players in the Italian top flight with Benetton Treviso, to assert himself.

The playmaker has been bothered by injury during Italy’s preparations and his performances haven’t been up to the lofty standards he has established, but he excelled for Italy with a team-high 20 points in their defeat.

"Bulleri has played finally like he knows - taking the responsibility of the  difficult shots and running the team," Recalcati said.

Recalcati knows that time is running out for his team to hit top form and be serious contenders for the crown they won four years ago.

The Azzurri has still to prove that they can be extremely successful in the post-Carlton Myers and Gregor Fucka era.

The duo were mainstays in the squad which won a silver medal at the European Championships in Barcelona in 1997, and the triumphant side in 1999.

Recalcati was forced to leave out forward Nikola Radulovic because of a right ankle injury and he will now be missing Lauretana Biella shooting guard Matteo Soragna for the match against New Zealand on Friday after he, too, sprained his ankle on Wednesday.

Serbia & Montenegro boss Dusko Vujocevic had to do without one of his key players, Los Angeles Clippers guard Marko Jaric.

The Sacramento Kings’ deadly three-point specialist, Predrag Stojakovic, guided his side to the win by scoring some crucial baskets at the end.

The Azzurri dug themselves an early hole, falling behind by 11 points by the end of the first quarter.

The Serbo-Montenegrins dominated the boards, out-rebounding Italy 15-3 in the opening frame.

"We probably lost the match because of the first quarter," admitted the Italian coach.
Centres Roberto Chiacig and Dennis Marconato gave Italy a lift in the second quarter.

The Azzurri, European champions in 1999, fought back and eventually pulled level with seven minutes left at 64-64 but their opponents reclaimed the lead and never looked back.

Italy were hurt by some untimely fouls against forwards Giacomo Galanda and Alessandro De Pol, which contributed to their opponents re-establishing their advantage.

"This match is a clear example that we cannot give away too much to our rivals, if we want to win, we cannot make these mistakes," Recalcati said.

Fortitudo Bologna Point guard Milos Vujanic was Serbia & Montenegro’s highest scorer with 16 points.