Dusko Ivanovic, the Virtus head coach, spoke to the media after his team defeated Dubai 79-78 at home in Round 15 of the EuroLeague.
Virtus won in a tough, close game against Dubai at home, and head coach Dusko Ivanovic was very satisfied with his team’s play, particularly in the tough conditions preceding the match:
“After a 10-day break and changing the gym from last time, this victory is even more important. I think we started very well, and we were especially prepared for a tough, close game for the full 40 minutes. Only in the second quarter did we have a stretch where we didn’t play well — some players lacked the energy. But in the second half, we found the energy and patience to win the game.”
Nicola Akele was a surprise inclusion in the starting lineup, but Ivanovic was firm that the big man was of great help on the defensive side:
“We started with Akele because last season he played so many good games, especially on the defensive end, so I have confidence in him. But after the national team window, he returned in poor condition. Now he’s better, and he helped us a lot.”
Virtus has remained undefeated at home and managed to win another close game, which will be big for building confidence for the remainder of the season.
This is the first signal of a good team. We could have easily lost this game too, but we found a way. We demonstrated we are a good team. And we fought until the last moment. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We have so many games ahead of us, and probably we will lose some games like this, but we hope to be a good team,” concluded Ivanovic.
Virtus will have a big test ahead of them at home in the EuroLeague as they welcome first-placed Hapoel Tel Aviv on December 12th in Round 15.
