MILOJEVIC: “BIG WIN FOR US”
After a great match and two completely different halves, Mega has reached great victory over Oostende with 76:70 and continued to fight for a place in the next round. After 48 received points at the break, Mega in the other 20 minutes allowed only 22 points, in a thrilling finish played great and brave for the great victory against the Belgian champions.
The game was reversed in the third quarter when the Mega held Oostende for an 8 and a half minutes to just two points scored in this period. Radovan Djokovic entered the game in third quarter and bring balance in the game of Mega. After the match, Djokovic said that the team reacted in a right way in the second half:
– This was a very difficult match for us. We played poorly in the first half, especially in defense. After that we managed to react in the right way. We were very aggressive in defense and in the second half, we received only 22 points. In the last quarter we hit tough shots, all of this was due to our good defense and we recorded a very important win for us,
Djokovic said.
Coach of Mega Leks Dejan Milojevic said that this is a big victory for the team:
– The match with two completely different half where we had completely two different approaches to defense. In the first half, we received as many as 48 points, of which 26 in the paint and 13 from the transition. This means that we received almost 40 points with no adequate response in defense. In the second half, especially in the third period we played great in defense, and in support of this evidenced by the fact that we in that perio0d received only seven points out of which four or five from free throws. That was the key to our return to the game. The good thing is that we managed to record another victory in an uncertain ending. This is proof that this team is growing and we expect that as the season progresses to get better and better. With this victory we have preserved the chance to qualify for the next round. I deeply respect what Oostende is doing and coach Gjergja, because they are many years champions of Belgium so this is a big win for us,
said coach Mega Leks.
Oostende guard Corey Walden said that Mega has a very talented team:
– We played against a very good and talented team. We started match perfect in defense and in attack. However, we had a decline in the third quarter when we didn’t play the right way at the back, while they hit the tough shots. When you play against a team like Mega Leks and when you drop the lead, you can hardly fight back. We have allowed them to put us in a difficult situation and in the end we were defeated.
Coach of Oostende Dario Gjergja said that the players of Mega Leks have the character:
– I congratulate Mega Leks on win. I told the players in the second half, we can not stop playing our game, and that is exactly what happened. We have allowed the team of Mega to fully return to the game. All in all, they hit some very tough shots, we were not precise on the other side and we lost. I’m very sorry that we have lost, and I told the players in the locker room, especially since we had a full 30 minutes. The worst that can happen to you is to lose a match this way. I told my players that these young guys who play for Mega Leks have character and they are capable of hitting heavy shots. They did this, and eventually won,
said Gjergja.
Photo: Mega Leks / Ivica Veselinov