Minimum mistakes, maximum focus - Moreira's mantra for Angola's remaining games
ISTANBUL (FIBA World Championship for Women) - Angola were on the losing end of the first game to see a team score 100 or more points at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, but coach Anibal Moreira was more disappointed at the manner in which team didn't execute their plans.
"We knew they were a far better team than us. This is a reality," the three-time Olympian for Angola's men's national team said of Serbia.
"What I'm really disappointed in was the way we lost focus. We just didn't what we had planned. Our execution was very poor.
We are very realistic about our chances. But that does not mean we have to perform below our best. - Moreira
"We are here to improve our competitiveness, and not (have) any lofty ambitions. We don't want to talk big.
"This is what happened (against Serbia). Our players got awed by them and got carried away. We lost concentration and focus. I think we made too many turnovers and conceded too many points on the fast break," he added.
Angola turned the ball over 27 times against 5 steals whereas Serbia had 10 turned it over only 10 times against 18 steals. The Serbs scored 24 points on the fast break, almost a quarter of their total points.
"We have to cut down our mistakes and keep our concentration. These are the only two things I expect from my team," said the 48-year-old.
Angola face China on Sunday and take on the USA on Tuesday.
"We are the underdogs in both games. All we want to do is to play our best. It doesn’t matter what plans our opponents come with. We want to stick to our plans and more importantly execute it well," said Moreira.
FIBA