SC Derbi's basketball players suffered their first defeat of the season last night - the "students" lost to Cibona (75:69) in the second round of the AdmiralBet ABA League in Zagreb.
It is SC Derbi's third loss in a row against the Croatian team.
"It is obvious that this was a bad game for us - the connection between the players was weak, we had a lot of turnovers. To come to Zagreb and play a game against Cibona with 18 turnovers, and hope for victory, I think is impossible. What throughout the preparation period, there was a lot of aggressiveness and intensity, and tonight we lacked aggressiveness, and in attack we were not disciplined, we did not follow the game plan, with too many individual solutions, Cibona knew how to punish that, especially in finals," SC Derbi coach Petar Mijović said after the match.
In addition to the lost goals, one of the factors of the defeat is the poor shooting percentage, according to the coach of the "students".
"Our weak percentage shooting for three points and turnovers were the key factors because of which we failed to achieve better result. On the other hand, Cibona had three outstanding players – Džok, Barber in the first half, and Ročak, who played almost the entire game. They hit key three-point shots, especially when we were able to get close, but we didn't know how to use it opportunities. They deservedly won - I congratulate them on that," Mijović said.
Cibona registered its first victory in the regional competition this season.
"We defended vigorously. Our goal is always to keep teams under 20 points per quarter. We managed to achieve that in all four quarters. I have to highlight Talib Zana. He was great, he landed in Zagreb on Sunday morning, I took him to his flat, I went with him to buy food... He fit right in, defensively he was great, and he will change the concept of our game. Ročak was great, as were Džok and Radovčić, I am proud of all the players. We are a team that plays together, we have to work and believe in the vision," said Cibona coach Kris Tomas.
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