Slovenia Records Second Victory in Croatia Basketball Friendly Preparation Series

In the second friendly preparatory match, Slovenia defeated Croatia at Arena Stožice in Ljubljana. Croatia looked more determined and coherent than in the first game in Rijeka. 

Croatia was led by the excellent Mario Hezonja, who scored 37 points with 10 defensive rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Captain Roko Leni Ukić scored 23 points and assisted five times, and Miro Bilan reached double-digits with 10 points.

The very beginning of the game was not particularly promising. Slovenia took a 23-8 lead in the first quarter on the wings of Luka Dončić and Klemen Prepelič. Mario Hezonja broke up the bad spell with a three-pointer, and at the very end of the first quarter, Miro Bilan scored with a dunk for 26:15. Slovenia still had a serious lead.

Croatia took off in the second quarter, scoring 37 points in 10 minutes. Despite the good synergy between Luka Dončić and Mike Tobey, Croatia with Hezonja and Ukić showed that it could do much better than the predictions before the game.  

The second half started with an advantage for Croatia, and in the third quarter, Croatia achieved the biggest advantage at 56:64 after a dunk by Luka Babić. The game was then even at 65:65 and 70:70, but Slovenia concluded the third quarter with 77:70 and ultimately sealed the victory in front of 8,000 home fans (97:88). Slovenia’s most efficient players were Prepelič (31 points), Tobey (26 points), and 10 points with an incredible 17 assists from Dončić.

Coach Veljko Mršić: “The match was offensive on both sides. We played better than a couple of days ago in Rijeka, but we failed to keep that rhythm with a shortened rotation. We played a good game against a great team, and we managed what no one in the NBA did – keep Luka Dončić at 10 points (laughs), but we didn’t manage to reduce his assists. He was impressive and emotional in front of the home crowd. Jokes aside, we took a step forward from what we did a few days ago. Now we are completing the team – the day after tomorrow, Ante Toni Žižić is arriving, and we are expecting a clash between the Clippers and Utah to see if Ivica Zubac or Bojan Bogdanović will come. We expect to be at an even higher level in 10 days and to achieve what we want – qualifying for the Olympic Games.”

Captain Roko Leni Ukić: “We played a better game than two days ago. We can be somewhat satisfied, and above all, offensive, although there is certainly still plenty of room for improvement. We had a chance to play against one of the best players in the world. Even though he was not in perfect shape, it was obvious how much he means to his team, how much he plays everything around him, and that is the best test for what awaits us. I think we can get a lot of positive things out of today, but we have to be aware that we have to play better defense if we want to win.”

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