Prolonged Argument Leaves Referee Helpless After Italy?s Physicality vs Karl-Anthony Towns Goes in Vain

NBA superstar Karl-Anthony Towns and the Dominican Republic started their 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign with a win against co-hosts Philippines. However, they could not rest on their laurels as a tough test awaited Towns and his team in the form of 10th-ranked Italy on the second day of the tournament. Given the forward’s ability to score at will, he had to endure multiple hard fouls in the last quarter as the Italians made a comeback.

With the fans rallying behind, the Philippines national team went toe-to-toe with their opponents. But it was not enough, and the Dominican Republic won the close game with a scoreline of 87-81.

Karl-Anthony Towns shoved to the ground

Karl-Anthony Towns continued his good run against Italy as well. However, it was much more physical. After giving the lead to Italy in the first quarter, the Dominican Republic came back strong in the second and third quarters to take the lead. However, the Italians were not done.

The Italian national team fought hard in the last quarter. In an attempt to cut the deficit, they played physical basketball on the defensive end. With Towns’ prowess to score, the ball found its way to him whenever they had possession. As the opponents struggled to defend the big man, they resorted to hard fouls and made him earn his points from the line.

Notably, with 2:44 left in the fourth quarter and as the Dominican Republic led 79-67, Towns was pushed out of bounds while driving to the basket. Achille Polonara received an unsportsmanlike foul for his actions.

Interestingly, Polonara also fouled Towns in the previous play just a second earlier. So Towns’ teammates were not happy with the hard foul, and it caused a bit of a scuffle.

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The referees had to intervene to calm the situation.

Italy vs. Dominican Republic

In the last quarter, Italy went on a good run and finished the period 26-18. However, it was not enough as the Dominican Republic clinched the game 82-87. It was a rollercoaster of a game even though there were only three lead changes. While Italy started and finished the game strong, the Dominican Republic’s performance in the second and third quarters was enough to seal the win.

Even though the Italians were forced to foul in the final quarter, they had just two more fouls (23-21) than their opponents. While the rebounding numbers were very close (36-37), Italy lost the battle in the second chance points. They gave up 16 second-chance points while only scoring 2 of their own. This ultimately cost them the game. Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists in the game. He also made 6 of 8 free throws as per FIBA to help his team in the closing minutes.

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After the flying start in the tournament, it will be interesting to see how the Dominican Republic will perform in the next game against Angola.