KK Dinamo Zagreb – SLUNETA Ústí nad Labem 80:93 (14:30, 29:18, 19:24, 18:21)
Referees: Kadhodaei, Jury, Ivanković (all Austria)
Attendance: 50
Scorers – Dinamo: Vučić 17, Novačić 15, Kraljević 12, Brzoja 10, Garafolić 9, Majić 6, Nakić-Vojnović 5, Vrgoč and Mikšić each 3, Rukavina, Pavlic and Dugandžić 0
Scorers – Ústí nad Labem: Maverick 18, Nichols 16, Autrey 11, Váňa 11, Nábelěk 9, Žikla 9, Pecka 7, Karlovský and Johnson each 6, Haiblík 0
The Sluneta team entered the match furiously. After the first five minutes, they created an advantage of 10 points. Dinamo coach Josip Sesar tried to wake up his sleepy team with rotations, which made a lot of mistakes in attack, while in defense it had no answer to the aggressive play of the visitors from the Czech Republic. Sluneta continued with an excellent game and, already after the first quarter, created a noticeable advantage. In the second quarter, Dinamo basketball players kicked into high gear. With an aggressive defense and several great actions in the attack, they returned to the game. Dinamo had a chance to fully return to the game, but with a few unforced errors, they allowed Sluneti too many easy baskets, which led to halftime with a minimal advantage for the team from the Czech Republic.
In the second half, the game continued with the same rhythm. Playing basket after basket, Sluneta did not allow Dinamo to bring the game to a tie. In the middle of the quarter, Dinamo was only half a basket behind, but Sluneta had an answer to Dinamo’s pressure with several quick points in a row, after which Dinamo’s coach was forced to call a minute of rest. The guests from the Czech Republic returned to their rhythm from the first quarter and, before the last quarter, created a 10-point advantage. In the last part, the Dinamo basketball players tried to reach the guests’ advantage, but the experienced team of Sluneta did not allow them to do so, and they calmly brought the game to an end and registered their second victory in the Alpe Adria Cup.
Post-game quotes:
Josip Sesar, coach of Dinamo: “I congratulate the opponent on a great match. We weren’t right today, we didn’t have the rhythm, we entered the match without energy, and they took a big advantage there, and in the end, they deservedly won. Once again, I congratulate the Slunet team for a good game and victory in Zagreb.”
Ivan Vučić, player of Dinamo: “I congratulate the Sluneta team on their well-deserved victory. We were not right from the beginning, although we had a chance to win the game. We had too many loose balls today, which a team like Sluneta knows how to punish, so in the end, they deservedly won.”
Jan Šotnar, coach of Ústí nad Labem: “This was a very good match for us because we played against a very good opponent. The game started well for us because we hit a lot of three-point shots, but the opponent came back very quickly, so the game started to be even. But I say the most important thing for us was the first quarter, where we got into a good rhythm and didn’t let the pace of the game down until the end of the game. Dinamo is a very good team, so this victory is not only good for us but for the whole league.”
Ty Nichols, player of Ústí nad Labem: “Dinamo is playing well in the Croatian league, I think they are third or fourth. A very good team with a good coach. We had a very long journey, so we came a day early to get used to the hall and feel good in Zagreb. We started the game very well, especially in the last quarter, when we played good defense and hit important shots and eventually won the game.”
