Young energy prevailed
The start of the WINLINE Basket Cup at the CSKA Arena was a success only from an entertainment standpoint. Our team fell short against the young Mega team, posting a very low shooting percentage...
CSKA – Mega Belgrade: 72-81 (-9)
CSKA: Ware (3 + 5 rb + 5 as + 3 st), Ruzhentsev (5), Ukhov (7 + 4 rb + 4 as), Astapkovich (13 + 4 rb), Jean-Charles (11 + 6 rb) – start; Cleveland (14 + 4 rb + 2 as + 5 pf), Gankevich (1), Trimble (10 + 3 rb + 2 as + 3 to), Karpenko (DNP), Chadov (2 + 4 rb), Antonov (2), Kurbanov (4 + 3 rb)…
Mega: Djulovic (17 + 6 rb + 2 as), Drezgic (14 + 5 rb + 7 as + 2 st + 6 to + 4 pf), Vukcevic (5 + 4 rb), Kroflic (9 + 6 rb + 5 as), Suigo (18 + 5 rb + 3 to) – start; Milenkovic (0), Radojicic (5), Markovic (8 + 6 rb + 3 as + 5 bs), Siby (2 + 4 rb), Danilovic (DNP), Srzentic (0), Musicki (3)…
Andreas Pistiolis, CSKA head coach:
I'd like to thank the fans; they created a fantastic atmosphere. Congratulations to Mega on the victory. The team was more motivated and focused, and our opponents played better in every offense. Our lack of focus and motivation resulted in turnovers; at times, we made mistakes as if we were 19 years old.
Ivan Ukhov, CSKA defenseman:
Today was a dynamic game against a young and aggressive team. Early on, we gave our opponents a taste of their attacking potential by not offering a good defense against them. They were able to execute smart transitions, and we were unable to stop their momentum. After that, our opponents gained confidence. We could have played more aggressively; we'll watch replays and analyze our mistakes.
