With the victory over Hapoel from Tel Aviv (89:79), Buducnost Volija basketball players remained in the game for at least the 4th place in Group B of the Eurocup, which brings the advantage of the home field in the round of XNUMX.
More important than that is that they played much better than three days ago against Zadar, when they were losing by 16 points and only decided the match at the end.
"An important and difficult match, due to the circumstances behind us, because the FIBA 'window' burdens us every time. Now we were without nine players, I don't think anyone in Europe had that. Along with the return and fitting of players, we had two injuries - Eric Green and Treo Bell-Haines, as well as Atić's virus, who still had a fever today. I have to praise the medical team, doctors and physiotherapists, because they did everything to make the team complete", said Vladimir Jovanović.
The Serbian expert praised his team's defensive play.
"For most of the game, we were very concentrated in defense. I mentioned to the players in the preparation of the match that we have to have firmness, to stop their attacking talent, and we fulfilled that plan. In attack, we created good shooting situations every time, and in the 1st half we had a great three-point percentage. They were all open, built shots".
Apart from Eric Green, who led the team, Reynolds was also excellent.
"We talked a lot, and he realized that he had entered a shooting crisis. He didn't only have it in matches, but also in training he had a problem being accurate. He is the only one who, besides me and part of the coaching staff, has been there since August 15, that's why he asked me to use this 'window' to go home. Those two or three days meant a lot to him, he used them in the right way. He also trained there, was in contact with fitness trainers and came back in good shape, and it is obvious that he 'rested' his head", Jovanović pointed out.
Hapoel coach Dani Franco believes that his team failed in attack, even though it was the leader of the Eurocup in terms of points and assists until tonight.
"We started the game without the right attitude to compete with a team like Budućnost, especially at home. That frustrated us, there were a lot of bad decisions, especially in the attack, and it wouldn't be said that we lead in the Eurocup in terms of points and assists," said the Israeli expert.
His team threatened at the start of the resumption, getting to 52:41, but that was all.
"We started the 3rd quarter better, but again we fell offensively, we couldn't stop it. We did a better defensive job in the 2nd half, but to win here, you have to play 40 minutes of good basketball. I am glad that we fought until the end, that we did not give up".
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