Ergin Ataman, head coach of the A National Men’s Basketball Team, which lost 79-72 to Serbia in the second match of the FIBA 2023 World Cup European Qualifiers 2nd round Group I, said that after balancing the score in the last 3 minutes, the decisions made by the referees affected the outcome of the match.
Ataman made statements at the press conference held after the match played at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.
Stating that they started the match badly, the experienced head coach said, “We couldn’t stop Jokic. This pushed us down morally. We couldn’t create a position. In the second half, we used Sertaç and Alperen together to harden our defense. We tried to speed up the game by putting pressure on Micic. “We worked hard and we were successful. We were partners in the game with hard and fast attacks.” used the phrases.
Emphasizing that they started the second half very well and that they were in a position to win the match in the last period, Ataman said:
“I find the referee’s whistles in the last 3 minutes unbelievable. This is a huge disrespect to the Turkish National Team. I hope the FIBA Central Referee Committee will thoroughly examine the final period. There were ridiculous technical fouls that were played aside for us. It was a tough match. Serbia, European Championship” One of the favourites. They didn’t steal any of them. They determined the fate of the match with offensive fouls against Cedi.”
National basketball player Furkan Korkmaz stated that they played very well in the second half and said, “We made a great comeback in the second half with the support of the audience, but we couldn’t finish it. We need to forget about this match and prepare for the European Championship. We have to work more on our shortcomings.” he commented.