The "Blues" lost to the team from the UAE last night in Sarajevo (89:78).
Buducnost held on somewhat in the first half, but everything was settled in the third quarter when the formal host took a 21-point lead...
"Congratulations to Dubai on a well-deserved victory. We had two or three periods of good defense, we played more aggressively and that led to easy points. However, the rest of the game was too soft and that is the main reason for the defeat. Dubai scored points easily at certain moments. Energy and desire must be present in every match. Dubai is physically stronger and has better quality individuals, but that can be compensated for by great desire, energy and aggressive play. We showed that at some moments, but Dubai was better throughout the match. We still have a lot of work to do if we want to play against teams like this," said Podgorica coach Andrej Žakelj after the match.
It is now clear that Buducnost will play in the quarterfinals against the "debtors" Cluj, who eliminated them in the round of 16 of the Eurocup, and the same rivals will meet in the final round of the Top 8 phase in Romania.
On the other hand, Dubai maintained its leading position, and Jan Šentjurc made his debut with a victory after taking over the helm following the departure of Jurica Golemac.
"A great team win, both on offense and defense. We shared the ball, played solid defense, fought and controlled the rebound. Buducnost is a quality team, they beat Partizan a week ago, so I think we did a good job tonight. We look forward and hope to continue in the same rhythm and finish first before the playoffs," said Šentjurc.
