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Dubai Basketball secures 102-74 win on the road in Croatia

This is Dubai’s first triple-digit performance

Dubai Basketball registered a big win on the road after thrashing Croatia’s Cibona 102-74 on Saturday night, taking their ABA League record to 5-1.

Dubai Basketball’s Head Coach, Jurica Golemac, could not have asked for a better performance as they dominated the game from tip-off to the final buzzer in Zagreb.

After Ahmet Düverioğlu converted both his free-throws in the first 13 seconds, the visitors never looked back, closing out the first quarter with a healthy 35-17 advantage, making Dubai one of only few teams to score over 30 points in a single quarter of play this season. Cibona struggled without their starting point guards, Roko Rogić and Krešo Radovčić, and seemed to lack the star-powered needed to slow down Dubai’s offence.

By the time the third quarter ended, Dubai held a staggering 29 point, 81-52 lead and continued to pour on the offense, crossing the 100-point barrier late into the final quarter thanks to a JaCorey Williams two-pointer in the paint; this marked the first time in the franchise’s young history that they would eclipse the century mark. Williams, whose scored double digits in three of six games this season, would leave Croatia ranked 2nd in ABA League in “Points in the Paint.”

Former NBA star Davis Bertans put up a game-high of 17 points, doing most of his damage from beyond the arc, shooting 5 of 8 (62.5 per cent) from three-point territory. At Saturday night’s conclusion, Bertans ascended to 2nd in ABA League in three-point shots made, trailing only Split’s Jordano Antonio.

Thirdy Ravena was steller on both sides of the ball through over 10 minutes of action, recording his first steal, assist, and rebound of the season. Thirdy, who has quickly emerged as the City of Dubai’s fan-favorite, kept intense pressure on Cibona’s offense, playing a major factor in holding them to just 74 points.

The victory over Cibona puts Dubai Basketball tied for second in the ABA League standings, behind Partizan Mozzart, who they’ll face on Sunday, November 10. Golemac had nothing but praise for his team. He said: “I congratulate my players for playing really well. We achieved what we came for, played a great game and now we are going to analyse what we can do better and move onto the next game.

“Our players understand that every move and every possession is important and they all share the same vision of wanting to not only win but also be competitive in each game. As a coach, it’s a pleasure to be working with them.”

Dubai Basketball is again on the road next weekend when they travel to Montenegro for Game Seven against Studentski Centar Derby on Saturday 2nd November at 10:00 pm UAE time.