MKS Dabrowa Górnicza – KK Dinamo Zagreb 92:73 (14:20, 30:27, 26:7, 22:19)
Referees: M. Scholze, P. Nejezchleb, J. Pazourek (all Czechia)
Attendance: 700
Scorers – Górnicza: Garcia 24, Cabbil and Carvacho each 12, Horne 11, Persons 10, Slupiński and Piechowich each 7, Wilczek 6, Konaszuk 2, Wojdala 1
Scorers – Zagreb: Brzoja 19, Nakić-Vojnović 17, Novačić 13, Vučić and Kraljević each 8, Dugandžić and Vrgoć each 3, Majić 2, Lukić 0
The first minutes of the match were marked by the search for the right rhythm of the game and effectiveness on both sides. The result oscillated around a draw for a long time, but the end of the first quarter belonged to the guests, who, largely thanks to the and 1 actions by Brzoja and Kraljević, took the lead 20:14 after the first 10 minutes of the match. In the second quarter, the MKS offensive machine gained momentum, mainly due to accurate three-point throws – by the break, they had made 6 three-pointers with an efficiency of 42%. However, the Croatians continued to set difficult conditions, and the MKS players were particularly hit by balls directed directly into the 3-second zone, where Ivan Nakić-Vojnović showed off his effectiveness and had already accumulated 14 points by the break. Ultimately, the guests maintained their lead and went into the break with a score of 47:44.
After the change of sides, the fans in the Centrum hall in Dąbrowa Górnicza saw a completely different face of MKS, who, with each passing minute, began to play more and more to their own rhythm. Relaxation and greater freedom definitely favored the hosts, who dominated the match. Marc Garcia increased his scoring (he scored 24 points in the whole match), Tayler Persons was amazing with assists (he collected 8 in the whole match), and Nicolas Carvacho fought for every ball on both boards (he collected 8 rebounds in the whole match). Ultimately, the match ended with a convincing victory for MKS 92:73.
Post-game quotes:
Boris Balibrea, coach of Górnicza: “We are really happy about the win. We have struggled a lot in the last ten days without many players, but the way the team faces those practices has been incredible, so I’m so happy and proud of them. It took a lot for us to get to the game, but in the third quarter we found a way and played how we wanted to play, so I’m really happy and really proud. Let’s rest a little bit, and on Friday we have one more game, so hopefully we see everybody in the gym and they help us get one more win.”
Marc Garcia, player of Górnicza: “We knew that it would be a little bit tough from the beginning. We started not well, but at the end of the second quarter, we pressed and tried to do our game, so that’s why we won the game. Next game, we have to start from the beginning, and we cannot let them score so much in the first half.”
Josip Sesar, coach of Zagreb: “Congrats to the MKS team. They played very well today, especially in the second half. We tried to change the defense, but they have a great player, number 7, Marc Garcia, who shot some three-pointers. Today we played without two players from the starting five. We had some problems with that, but it doesn’t matter – tomorrow is a new day. We will try to start practicing tomorrow for the next game, and I hope we will play much better.”
Ivan Nakić-Vojnović, player of Zagreb: “I want to congratulate the home team. They played very well, and they have great individual players and a great coach. We tried to slow down the pace of the game because we have a short rotation and a couple of guys are missing with us, but we didn’t manage the game. Congratulations to all my boys! I think we played well, but we also have room for improvement. Good luck to the home team.”
