| 03 July 2009
 | Jeff Taylor has been covering European basketball since 1997, when he first worked on the television program SLAM. He has been a basketball writer and broadcaster since that time, traveling the continent and covering the game in depth for FIBA Europe since its launch in 2003. |
There weren't too many tears shed for Italy when they blew a double-digit lead in the second half and lost to Greece in their crunch fifth-place battle at the EuroBasket Women on June 20.How could any neutral not smile at the sight of the Greeks doing a dance on the court after that 60-56 victory that catapulted Evina Maltsi and Co into the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women and the EuroBasket Women 2011 in Poland? Rest assured, there were looks of regret, anger and frustration on the faces of the Azzurre, including coach Giampiero Ticchi. They had blown a chance to punch their tickets to the Czech Republic and Poland. There were not, however, looks of resignation. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves and taking a flight to the nearest beach to get rid of their Riga hangover, seven of the Italians and Ticchi used the setback in Latvia as motivation for the Mediterranean Games this week in Pescara. Indeed, the Italian women took out their frustration on a good Serbia team, beating it 70-54 in the gold-medal game on Thursday. Actor/comedian Bill Murray could sum up the Italian team's attitude with his famous quote, "We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!" Raffaella Masciadri, Simona Ballardini, Maria Franchini, Chiara Pastore, Manuela Zanon, Roberta Meneghel and Francesca Modica were the Italians who suffered in Riga and got the bad taste out of their mouths in Pescara. Jennifer Nadalin, Beatrice Sciacca, Benedetta Bagnara, Emanuela Ramon and Paola Mauriello didn't play in the Baltics but were in the Mediterranean Games squad. Masciadri had 21 points and Ballardini 20 in the triumph over the Serbians, who had 2007 FIBA Europe Young Women's Player of the Year Sonja Petrovic in their ranks. "I am delighted because we have achieved an historic result," Italy coach Giampiero Ticchi said in a statement by Italy's Basketball Federation. "It is the first gold medal of the Mediterreanean Games for Italian women's basketball. "We have deserved this success after an incredible year of hard work. "I want to thank the players and my staff that has always remained united. "The road is long and there are margins to grow but I think the path we have taken is the right one. "This result confirms it." | 
