Dusan Ivkovic: “We didn’t defend as we had to in a match of this caliber...”

Defeated 86-90 by Fenerbahçe at the 13th week match of Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 Group E, Anadolu Efes Coach Dusan Ivkovic commented at the post-game press conference:

“It was a very challenging match. Fenerbahçe deserved the win, and they were the better side on the court. We played a balanced game in the first half. During this half, our main problem was defensive rebounds. We allowed 10 offensive rebounds to our opponent in the first quarter, which accumulated to 18 at the end of the match. We lost control in the third quarter, and allowed 29 points in this quarter. We didn’t defend as we had to in a match of this caliber. We tried to make a comeback with defensive pressure, but we couldn’t. What I need to teach my players is how they should play under pressure. Today’s match was under a lot of pressure, and we couldn’t play our regular game on the court.”

Showcasing the best performance for Anadolu Efes with an index score of 25, Thomas Heurtel also stated his thoughts: “We played a good first half. We were awful in the third quarter. We allowed 18 offensive rebounds. This was one of the greatest reasons that we lost the match. We tried to make a comeback in the last 3-4 minutes of the match, but unfortunately we couldn’t. It was a bad match for us...”

Tags:
  • euroleague
  • Fenerbahçe
  • Dusan Ivkovic