Mijović paid tribute to Vujošević and commented on the important victory

SC Derbi defeated Mega in one of the key survival duels, but coach Petar Mijović opened the press conference with a different topic.

This is, of course, the departure of basketball great Duško Vujošević.

"Before I say anything, I would like to express my condolences to the Vujošević family on my own behalf, as well as on behalf of the coaching staff and players. Basketball has lost a man who gave a lot. Wherever he worked, he left a deep mark, especially in the development of coaches and players. This is an irreparable loss for basketball," said Mijović.

The Montenegrin expert also recalled his personal experience with the trophy-winning coach, which dates back to the earlier days of his career.

"My acquaintance with him has been going on for a long time. As a young coach, I had the privilege of attending Partizan's training sessions in 2007 while I was working at Mornar. It's hard to single out one moment, but I always remember his advice, both about basketball and life. He had a special, philosophical approach to the game," said the SC Derby coach.

On the court, his team took a big step towards survival in the ABA League. In an extremely important play-off match, SC Derbi defeated Mega 89:85 after a dramatic finale and ceded last place to Split with two rounds remaining.

The duel brought the expected fast pace and a large number of points, which was emphasized by Mijović after the match.

"A good game, Mega forces a lot of possession and can open up for a lot of points if you respond in kind. I'm not sure we wanted this kind of rhythm, but the most important thing is that we won," he said.

SC Derbi had fluctuations during the match, which the opponent knew how to take advantage of and get back into the game.

"We moved the ball well, ran and punished open shots. However, at times when we could have turned the game around, we allowed Mega to go on a 14:2 run and put them back in the match. However, in key moments, we stayed in the game with good defense and rebound control and ultimately came away with the win," explained Mijović.

Despite the important triumph, the fight for survival is far from over, and the situation in the standings remains uncertain.

"Nothing has been decided, there are still two rounds left. Four teams are fighting for survival - Vienna, Borac, us and Split. Everything is open. Now we go into the matches against Ilirija in Ljubljana and Zadar at home with more confidence. We don't depend on anyone and we have to take advantage of that," said Mijović.

In the final part of the season, he points out, the key will be continuity of play.

"I hope we will play a continuous game against Ilirija. I congratulate the boys on the victory, as well as Mega on a good game. With players like the NBA returnee Uroš Đurišić and the recovered Marko Đulović, Mega is even more dangerous, so this victory has additional weight," concluded Mijović.