TBILISI (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers) - Georgia endured a tough start to their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers, with defeats at Germany and Serbia meaning they must get wins on the board in February in order to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the Second Round.

The defeats came as the ramification of a demanding schedule, pitting Georgia against the group's heavyweights early on. However, the results also gave the team hope they can build on Michael Dixon's brilliant individual performance against Serbia.

The livewire point guard finished with a game-high 36 points while also handing out 9 assists in Georgia's 105-87 defeat in Belgrade, with the home side only able to take control of the match midway through the third quarter.

Dixon, who plays his club basketball for French side Strasbourg, underlined that emerging as the game's top performer meant little in the wake of an ultimately emphatic defeat.

"We had two good performances but we lost both games so it really doesn't matter for me that I stood out because I am a winner," he said. 

"THE WORLD CUP IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS EVER SO WE WANT TO TRY TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO GET THERE" DixonDixon

"Serbia have a good team and a great coach and it was always going to be hard for us to come here and win. We tried as best we could but came up short."

Dixon was especially lethal in the first half, when he scored 23 points. He was then kept in check in the third quarter before putting on a one-man show in the final frame but a more resourceful Serbian team still managed to pull away.

Dixon acknowledged Georgia now faced an uphill task to advance but was optimistic about their chances.

"WE DID AS WELL AS WE COULD HERE AND THE SECOND WINDOW IS ALSO GOING TO BE TOUGH BECAUSE WE ARE FEELING THE HEAT RIGHT NOW" DixonDixon

"It's going to be tough in February," he said. "Hopefully the guys we missed here through injury will be back and we can bring a stronger team to the next window. We did as well as we could here and the second window is also going to be tough because we are feeling the heat right now."

The 27-year-old pointed out how eager the Georgians are to see their team qualify for the World Cup.

"The Qualifiers are an opportunity for everybody. The World Cup is going to be one of the biggest basketball tournaments ever so we want to try to do what we can to get there," he said.

"It would mean everything for Georgia to qualify. It is a country with great fans who love their basketball."

FIBA