BARAĆ: “WE WERE SOFTER THAN I WOULD HAVE LIKED, BUT THE GUYS SHOWED CHARACTER IN THE END”

Mega Superbet basketball players secured a victory in Round 20 of the ABA League, defeating Split 84:82 (32:14, 18:23, 17:25, 17:20) at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall. Marko Barać’s team got off to a great start, winning the first quarter by 18 points, but Split gradually cut into the deficit and eventually tied the game. The score was tied with one second left, but Kosta Kondić found a way to score at the buzzer, securing the win for his team! Mega Superbet improved their record to 10-10, while Split suffered their 14th loss (6-14).

After the game, Mega Superbet coach Marko Barać shared his thoughts at the post-game press conference:

“I congratulate both teams, my players on the win, and the guests for a very good game. We were definitely softer today than I would have liked and than the minimum this team needs in terms of toughness and aggressiveness. Some numbers simply point to that, 18 offensive rebounds for Split, an enormous amount of points from second chances. Overall, we lost the battle in rebounding, and I really can’t be satisfied with that. We opened the game very well, taking what the defense gave us, which were a lot of open and well-executed shots. We hit them with excellent percentages, but it felt like we weren’t aware enough that this can’t work throughout the whole game and that we needed more inside play, more attacking the rim. That is typical for us, and we didn’t have that today. Split’s defensive changes affected us to some extent, but our lack of aggressiveness on both ends, and when I talk about the offense, led to us only getting to the free-throw line 10 times, scoring too few points from deep, and struggling in the second half. It was a good comeback from the 78-70 deficit when we changed our defense and the five players on the court reacted excellently to that. The guys got into stance, shut down all the lanes, and showed the character that was the only chance for us to win. In the end, good execution from my players, they found what we were looking for, and of course, with a bit of luck, we managed to win. Congratulations to the guests on a good game,” Barać said.

Next up is the Radivoje Korać Cup in Niš, where Mega Superbet will face Dunav in the quarterfinals on Thursday, February 13, at 20:45. ABA League action will resume in early March after the break for the Cup and the national team pause.

Photo: Mega Superbet