By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The “Dragon” of Slovenia torched his opponents leading his national team to a 90 – 81 victory over a Polish squad that went down fighting down the stretch.
The Star: Who else? Goran Dragic dropped 30 points, dished 4 assists to his teammates and finished the match with only 1 (!) turnover during the 29:11 he stayed on the floor.
Poland’s Mateusz Ponitka notched a new record with his national team as well, scoring 22 while also collecting 13 rebounds, but they weren’t enough to overcome the superior Slovenian squad.
The Turning point: The two teams went to the locker rooms for the halftime break with the score 53 – 46 but the third quarter was a monologue for Slovenia. Coach Igor Kokoskov’s players shut down their opponents (11 points for Poland in the third) and translated these defensive efforts to successful primary or secondary transition offenses.
Poland fell back 59 – 46 early in the second half and 74 – 55 near the end of the third quarter. They didn’t cut the lead to single digits until late in the fourth period (86 – 79 with two minutes remaining). It was too late to change the final outcome.
The Key Players: Luka Doncic and Anthony Randolph had a shooting nightmare but contributed heavily in other areas of the game. The 18-year-old wunderkid (3/12 from the field) finished with 8 rebounds and 6 assists apart from his 11 points, showcasing his play-making skills amply. Meanwhile, his teammate in Real Madrid grabbed 10 rebounds and sent 4 dimes to go with his 7 points.
A.J. Slaughter finished with 12 points plus 6 assists from Poland.
(photo: FIBA.Europe)