Reply With Quote
72-59
We win 72-59.
72-59
2 bad quarters and 2 good quarters. This kind of performance will not be good against Serbia.
Sweet!
But we have no business here with just 3 bigs and one of them is Golemac - who today luckily fouled out.
On the other hand we struggeled against Bosnia in Beograd and then the next day ripped Greece a new hole in their backside.
I wish Sho was still on the team.
You and 2 million Slovenians. We could use a good C to help out Erazem, although Breza played good today.
Yes, he can play and yes, unfortunately he does look a bit re -ish. No offense, really, just stating the fact.
Has Rasho attended any of the games this year or is he already in Toronto?
Without Smodiš (and Nesterovič) is our weakest point defending the paint. As perfect as E. Lorbek is on the offensive side is he average in degending bigs. Brezec really wourked his ass out in the defense - major props to him. Jagodnik should be moved at 4 - he is strong and is fighter.
Colaps in Q2? I guess our players though it is already over. I hope they learned the leasson.
He is in Toronto with his family.
Code:GREAT BRITAIN - SLOVENIA 59:72 (15:27, 20:10, 12:14, 12:21) Mensah-Bonsu 18 E. Lorbek 19 :) Archibald 12 Lakovič 11 Betts 9 S. Udrih 8 Boyd 8 Brezec 8 Freeland 6 D. Lorbek 7 Reinking 5 Nachbar 7 Lenzly 1 Golemac 6 Jagodnik 6 FTs: 11/13; 4/4 :( 2PT: 18/39; 22/29 3PT: 4/14; 8/23 Rebs: 23; 28 :)
Ah, that is good for him. I assumed that was the case.
lol @ 4ft
Great Britain 59-72 Slovenia
EUROBASKET 2009, Poland, 7-20 September GB matches: 8 September v Spain (2000 BST); 9 September v Serbia (2015 BST) Coverage:
By Rob Dugdale
BBC Sport at EuroBasket in Poland
Great Britain's opening EuroBasket game ended in a 72-59 loss to Slovenia in Group C in Warsaw.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu hit 18 points in his first game for the team this summer and Robert Archibald added 12.
After losing the first quarter 27-15, GB came roaring back to lead 35-33 just before half-time and were just four points adrift after three quarters.
But Slovenia hit some big shots to open the fourth period with a 14-5 run and GB were unable to close the gap.
Coach Chris Finch had Slovenia in his sights as the likeliest to give up a win which could allow GB a place in the second phase of a tournament which a united Great Britain team has never played at before.
The top three teams from the four-team group in Warsaw will travel to Lodz for the second phase of the tournament, but at least one win is needed to make that stage.
Slovenia had lost to GB at a tournament in Seville three weeks ago, but came out shooting the ball much better than they had in that game and had Britain 23-11 down in the first quarter.
Bostjan Nachbar and Goran Jagodnik hit shots from distance when their team needed them in the third quarter and Jaka Lakovic and Domen Lorbek hit threes to start the fourth-quarter run that edged GB out of contention.
GB's recently-simplified offensive sets are designed to maximise their power under the opposing basket, and it was Archibald and Mensah-Bonsu that started the second-quarter comeback that brought GB level and six points from the underused Joel Freeland that brought the lead.
"Great Britain certainly punished us under the basket in the first half," admitted Slovenia coach Jurij Zdovc. "Also we helped them because we weren't doing our job properly."
Although the addition of Mensah-Bonsu to the team certainly helped, the poor shooting that has plagued GB all summer was again a factor in their defeat.
They hit only four three-pointers in the game and of the back court players, only Nate Reinking and Flinder Boyd scored field goals.
"No we didn't move the ball well enough at times to get the open looks that we wanted," admitted Finch. "Our game plan was to pound the ball inside and I think we tended to take our eye off the basket. I told the guys at half-time that we needed to be ready to drop a few more shots out there but we never really did that.
"Pops gave us a nice game and a ton of energy. The fourth quarter you could see he got out of rhythm with the team a little but he helped us get back in the game.
"We're satisfied although we're not happy. We played hard, we gave it a good shot, we just ran out of gas," said Finch. "We needed to get a few plays at the right time - they made them, we didn't. It wasn't a 15-point game - we just fell short by about five minutes."
"We were targeting the first game simply because it would be great to get a win on the board early.
Great Britain's next game could not be more daunting. Spain are reigning world champions and the favourites to win the le in Poland. In addition to that, they are trying to shake off their reputation as perennial silver medallists (three in the last five EuroBaskets) and finally win a gold.
"This is what you play basketball for - so you can play against the best," said Nate Reinking. "It's going to be easy for us to get up for tomorrow. Even so, we're disappointed with tonight - we had a chance until the fourth quarter.
GB must now look to Plan B and get a win against either Spain on Tuesday or Serbia in the final group game on Wednesday.
Serbia's unexpected 66-57 win over Spain in Monday's second game merely confirmed how high the level of compe ion is in Group C.
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/spo...ll/8242928.stm
Last edited by velik_m; 09-07-2009 at 03:54 PM.
Eurobasket - Great Britain lose opener
Eurosport - Mon, 07 Sep 19:12:00 2009
Buzz Up!
Chris Finch's side fell to an early deficit but fought back during the second quarter of the game and headed in to the half-time break just two points down at 35-37.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu was the focus of most of Team GB's attacking play and the Houston Rockets forward ended the game with an impressive 18 points.
He was ably assisted by Robert Archibald, who drained 12, but Britain's offensive game deteriorated during the third quarter before slowing to a near halt in the final period.
Slovenia put away some big shots at the start of the fourth quarter, pulling away to stretch their lead to 15 with just under six minutes remaining.
Erazem Lorbek had 19 points to lead all scorers while Jaka Lakovic added 11 for the Slovenians.
Britain failed to find a reply and now face an uphill struggle to qualify from Group C with games against favourites Spain and powerhouse Serbia to come over the next two days.
But despite the defeat, Britain's head coach Chris Finch was encouraged by the display.
"Slovenia played outstandingly well tonight, particularly when they had to," said Finch.
"The game went pretty much as we expected it to go. We thought they would come in with a big first quarter and they did that.
"But I was pleased with the guys. All in all I was very proud of the way we played and we took a big step forward with where we had been before we came into this tournament.
"Pops got a nice game for us. He gave us energy but you could see in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter, where he was a little out of rhythm from the rest of the team. He did a great job to help get us back in the game.
"We just kind of ran out of gas. They had up to a 15-point lead but it wasn't a 15-point game.
"If we can put 40 minutes together we can beat anyone."
He added: "It doesn't get any easier but we knew the schedule and it hasn't changed. We have to stay committed to what we try to do and we did it for about 35 minutes and tomorrow we will have to do it for 40 to have a chance of winning.
"You can see that our team can compete in every level and at every moment."
Mike Hytner / Eurosport
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/070920...se-opener.html
Last edited by velik_m; 09-07-2009 at 03:57 PM.
So basically Great Britain was not so great?but their offensive game deteriorated thereafter and the final margin of defeat was a fair reflection of the evening's play.
Slovenia Pull Away Late, Top Great Britain
07 September 2009
By Simon Wilkinson
Slovenia pulled away in the fourth quarter to register a 72-59 win over Great Britain in the Group C's opening game at EuroBasket.
Erazem Lorbek had 19 points to lead all scorers and Jaka Lakovic added 11.
Turning point: Slovenia used a 10-0 run in the middle of the fourth quarter to extend their lead from 57-52 to 67-52 and seemingly put the game out of Great Britain's reach for good.
Hero: Samo Udrih and Domen Lorbek. The lesser known of two pairs of brothers on the Slovenian national team, they hit the basket at the right time during that fourth quarter spurt.
Stats: 100 per cent. That was Erazem Lorbek's shooting percentage for the game. He hit all eight of his field goal attempts (including one three-pointer) and made good on both of his free-throws.
----
Slovenia used a near-perfect fourth quarter shooting display to shake off stubborn Great Britain and secure a 72-59 win in EuroBasket Group C in Warsaw.
Jure Zdovc's men heated up in the final frame, hitting nine of 13 field goal attempts (including three of four from three-point territory) as they outscored their opponents 21-12, at one stage reeling off 10 unanswered points to turn their 57-52 edge into a 67-52 cushion.
Erazem Lorbek had a game-high 19 points despite playing only 20 minutes due to foul trouble. He was perfect from the field, hitting all eight of his shots and both his free-throws.
"This was a difficult game. We really had to work hard in the final quarter to hold them off," he said afterwards.
"They [Great Britain] are a very good team and I think we saw that especially in the middle quarters. We played well in stretches but we need to do a better job especially defensively in the next game."
Pops Mensah-Bonsu led the way for the Brits with 18 points and saw both the positive and negative from the game.
"The way we played in the second quarter was very encouraging to see but we need to duplicate that and not have big gaps when we struggle as we did," said the forward.
"In the final quarter it was just a case of Slovenia hitting the shots at the right time. They got a hot hand and they capitalised on it."
Great Britain started slow but were within three, 10-7, on Andy Betts' three-point play with 6:36 left in the first quarter.
Slovenia then outscored them 17-8 the rest of the period courtesy of some accurate three-point shooting by Samo Udrih and Bostjan Nachbar for a 27-15 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Newcomers Great Britain looked to be in real trouble but Robert Archibald and Mensah-Bonsu provided a timely offensive boost as Great Britain went on a 14-2 run to tie the game at 29 when Joel Freeman, fresh off the bench, converted a three-point play with just over six minutes left in the half.
Slovenia struggled with their low-post defense as big men Primoz Brezec and Erazem Lorbek both picked up second personal fouls and Chris Finch's side capitalised to take their first lead of the game, 35-33, when, once again, Freeman made good on the shot and the free-throw.
Domen Lorbek hit a tough runner and Jaka Lakovic made a pair of free-throws to edge Slovenia back in front, 37-35, at the break.
Slovenia pushed their advantage to 47-40 early in the third quarter as some crisp ball movement led to open three-pointers for Bostjan Nachbar and Goran Jagodnik who made good on their attempts.
Great Britain hit just one field goal in the first six minutes of the third period but got a lift when Flinder Boyd came off the bench and scored five quick points to get back within two, 47-45.
Erazem Lorbek though scored the last four points of the quarter as the Slovenians led 51-47 and they would carry that momentum into the final frame.
Lakovic and Domen Lorbek buried two quick three-pointers for a 57-50 advantage. Great Britain came back within five, 57-52, on a Betts' basket, but that is as close as they would get the rest of the way as Slovenia responded right away with a 10-0 run and never looked back.
Domen Lorbek and Samo Udrih accounted for 11 of Slovenia's 22 points in the final frame.
Despite being short of captain Matjaz Smodis and big man Uros Slokar, Slovenia did a good job on the boards, out-rebounding their opponents 28-23.
Afterwards, Finch gave due credit to Slovenia.
"They made plays when they had to, especially in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. We wanted to keep it close to the fourth quarter and did, but they came out and hit some shots. We had some turnovers and were chasing the game."
Zdovc praised his team's defense, especially late in the game.
"I am very happy with the way we defended in the fourth quarter. We made shots but our defense is what stopped them from fighting back," he said.
http://www.eurobasket2009.org/en/coi...leMode_on.html
Last edited by velik_m; 09-07-2009 at 04:00 PM.
That's awesome!Stats: 100 per cent. That was Erazem Lorbek's shooting percentage for the game. He hit all eight of his field goal attempts (including one three-pointer) and made good on both of his free-throws.
Well done Erazem!
A Greek on the bench of Slovenia.
'Greece will have another representative in the upcoming Eurobasket. Besides our National Team, Stefanos Dedas was announced as the assistant coach next to Juri Zdovc. The sepk.gr contacted the Greece coach to ask for his first impressions.' ....
http://www.sepk.gr/portal2/content/view/1573/1/lang,en/
"Slovenia has great offensive talent. The coaching staff is troubled about the fact that the team doesn't play good in the crucial moments. Another thing is that the star players are not so good in defense. Juri Zdovc has to work on that. He was a great defender as a players, while on the same time embraces the same philosophy as a coach. He can bring a winning at ude to the team".
Dedas is (was) scout for Slovenian NT, taping other teams' preparation games etc.
did we win today
Serbia demolished Spain. Group of death
Stats from today's game: http://www.eurobasket2009.org/en/cid...-839D032EE21A}
Jaka with 6 rebounds
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
