Mornar Barsko Zlato faced their 22nd defeat in the 23rd round of the AdmiralBet ABA League, losing to SC Derby in “Topolica” with a score of 94:74.

Even the ever-hopeful Mihailo Pavićević, coach of Baran, has begun to lose faith in his team’s survival chances.

“We had a strong first half, but in the second half, we allowed a 10-0 run right away and lost four possessions… It has become evident that once the momentum starts to shift, we lack a player this season who can halt the downturn. This has been a recurring issue,” Pavićević expressed, adding:

“I congratulate SC Derby on their well-earned victory. We find ourselves in this position due to multiple issues in our gameplay. We initiate attacks too easily and fail to return quickly to secure our defense. We deserve our place at the bottom, but we will strive until the end, maintaining an aggressive and professional approach,” Pavićević concluded.

Petar Mijović was only pleased with his team’s performance in the second half.

“We began the game the opposite of what we intended, which prompted me to call a timeout. Our defense improved somewhat then, but it wasn’t until the second half that we executed it properly. With good defense leading to easy scoring opportunities, we managed to secure an important win. It was challenging, but we anticipated that Mornar would go all or nothing,” said Mijović.

The “Students” now stand with eight victories, three wins short of a playoff berth.

“Compared to prior seasons, we lack experience in certain positions. I can’t pinpoint why the players are feeling undue pressure regarding the playoffs. It seems the constant stress of needing to secure wins is affecting us. This pressure is unnecessary; our sole responsibility is to aim for victory in each game and accumulate as many points as possible,” Mijović emphasized.

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