ZLATIBOR (Serbia) - Having beaten Puerto Rico in their opening friendly game, Serbia claimed a win double against Türkiye to maintain their impressive start to their preparations for the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024.
I hope that in the coming period we will play better and better - Sasa Cado
Playing against their European rivals on successive nights, Serbia tipped off with a 79-72 victory against the visiting side, inspired mainly by the continued good form of Dragana Stankovic.
Excellent at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belem, Brazil, the forward brought the noise to lead the way with a super smart 15-point performance.
Frontcourt partner Masa Jankovic weighed in with 12 points and it was the intensity of ball pressure that also proved vital, with Serbia forcing their opponents into 26 turnovers.
"Well, as always, the first game is the hardest," mused Stankovic afterwards.
"It takes a lot of time to get used to it, because we just started working five on five. In the first three quarters, I think we played very well, where we pressed the opponent, playing good and fast defense.
"Meanwhile in the last quarter, we had a slump."
In the second matchup, it was Jovana Nogic who came to the party and dropped a superb 20 points to make sure that Serbia walked of the court with a nailbiting 83-80 triumph. The home team were dominant on the glass and that was a key factor as they out-rebounded Türkiye 37-20.
Serbian head coach Marina Maljkovic again used the opportunity to blood some younger players - something that veteran guard Sasa Cado was quick to point to.
She said: "Due to the fact that this was the second game in a row, we expected it to be more difficult for us. Our coach Marina Maljković gave a chance to younger players in this match, which will be of great benefit to us in the future. I hope that in the coming period we will play better and better."
FIBA