Why can antimony form three covalent bonds?

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A labeled periodic table entry for antimony shows its symbol Sb, atomic number 51, atomic weight 121.76, electron configuration, and name. It is a solid, weakly acidic other metal with a rhombohedral crystal structure at room temperature. — antimony Properties of antimony.

Antimony is able to form three covalent bonds because of its electronic structure. As an element in the nitrogen group, antimony possesses three half-filled orbitals in its outermost shell, which allows it to readily form three covalent bonds and exhibit +3 and -3 oxidation states.1