A 79-70 triumph over Poland was enough to see Italy progress to the qualifying round at the EuroBasket.

Guard Marco Belinelli had a game-high 20 points for the winning side while forward Andrea Bargnani added 19 points - 16 of which came in the first half.

Just like they did four years ago, the Italians bounced back from their nightmare start to the tournament by winning their final and vital group game.

"We have taken a big weight off our shoulders," Italian forward Angelo Gigli said afterwards.

"Now we can go to Madrid with another mentality knowing that we still need to improve on some aspects of our game."

Italy trailed 16-14 going into the second quarter. But that's when Belinelli and Bargnani teamed up to spark a 22-6 run  - the former scoring 10 points and the latter nine in that surge - to give Italy a 36-22 lead with six minutes to go in the first half.

		Lucasz Koszarek's 10 points and 11 assists weren't enough against Italy

However, Poland hit back and managed to go into the break trailing by just six, 41-35.

The Azzurri came out of the locker rooms refreshed and ready to run and Belinelli's three-pointer early in the third quarter pushed their lead up to 50-38.

Italy were still unable to pull away as Poland refused to give up the fight and made sure to punish the Azzurri for their mistakes.

Four turnovers by the Italians - including two in a row by Matteo Soragna - sparked an 8-0 run by the Poles to cut the deficit to
54-50.

Gianluca Basile came to Italy’s rescue by hitting consecutive three-pointers late in the third. But, at the other end, a Robert Witka long-range bomb kept Poland's dreams alive as they trailed 64-57 going into the final stanza.

The Azzurri though kept their noses in front and Marco Mordente's shot from beyond the arc allowed Italy to lead 72-66 with five minutes to go.

Italy kept up their focus and stepped up their defense to limit Poland to just two points over the next four minutes as they sealed the win.

The winners were superior in shooting the ball from long range as they hit 12 of 21(57%) attempts while their opponents were only six for 22 (27%).

Italy made 17 of 21 from the free-throw line (81%) while Poland made 6 of 12 (50%).

Poland were out-rebounded 34 to 26.

If Italy's confidence has been shaken following back-to-back, heartbreaking defeats, they should remember four years ago when they recovered from a similar start to the EuroBasket.

That Carlo Recalcati- coached team bounced back to win their final group game and win the

		Italy will have their hands full with Wojcik.

bronze medal, thus qualifying the team for the 2004 Olympics and went on to win silver.

Poland should not present as many problems for the Italians but with the two sides fighting for the last qualifying spot in Group D, Wednesday's game is set to be a battle from start to finish.

Key Match-up: Andrea Bargnani versus Adam Wojcik. Having put his terrible start to EuroBasket 2007 behind him with a team-high 16 points against France, Bargnani will be looking to come up strong for the Italians against Poland.  Poland will need a big game from Wojcik if they wish to upset the Italians.  The 37-year-old forward had a game-high 19 points against France but failed to score against Slovenia after 19 minutes on the court.

Key stats: Poland will have to keep a close eye on Marco Belinelli, Massimo Bulleri and Matteo Soragna, who can hit from long range.  Italy have been outrebounded in their last two games and must win the battle of the boards if they wish to avoid another upset.

X-Factor: Unlike Poland, who have returned to the EuroBasket after a 10-year-wait, Italy have plenty of experience in dealing with these do-or-die games. This could be key for the Italians in the crucial stages of the clash.

Speaking out: "There is nothing positive to take from a game when you lose.  Against Poland we will have a lot of presure because we are well aware that if lose we go home." -Bargnani.

"We must forget our last two defeats and concentrate on the game against Italy. We have 24 hours to prepare and I'm sure my players will do the best they can against one of the most experienced teams in the competition." -Poland coach Andreej Urlep.