Dubai Basketball bounce back in ABA League with victory in Serbia

UAE team register comfortable 87-74 victory over Borac Mozzart

Dubai Basketball defeated Borac Mozzart in the ABA League. Photo: Dubai Basketball

The Dubai Basketball team bounced back in style in the ABA League, securing a dominant 87-74 victory over Serbia’s Borac Mozzart on Sunday night.

Dubai Basketball went into the match in Cacak, Serbia, looking to recover from last week’s last-gasp defeat against Mega MIS. With Sunday's win, they improved their league record to 3-1.

Danilo Andusic led the way for Dubai with 16 points, while Ahmet Duverioglu had a game-high seven rebounds.

Isaiah Taylor's 13 points, three rebounds and six assists proved to be the game changer as Borac Mozzart suffered their first home loss of the season.

By the end of the first quarter, Dubai held a narrow lead of 24-23. The hosts levelled the scores early in the second, but Jurica Golemac’s visitors changed gears with captain Klemen Prepelic dropping a clutch three-pointer when his team needed him most.

Nate Mason, who missed the last game due to an injury, added another two, but some strong play from the home side saw Borac Mozzart take a 33-29 lead.

Dubai’s Awudu Abass and Andusic then stepped up with crucial points including a three-pointer to give their team a healthy 47-36 advantage at half-time.

By the end of the third quarter, Dubai had stretched their lead to 71-63, and in the last 10 minutes they held off Borac Mozzart to close out a 87-74 win.

“It was loud, the fans here are great and they’re passionate; they let us know all night that there would be no easy points. It was great to leave with a big team win, but shout out to the fans, Cacak Sports Hall is one of the toughest places to play,” Dubai’s Jacorey Williams said.

Dubai Basketball had earlier enjoyed a dream start in their ABA League debut at the Coca-Cola Arena, defeating defending champions Red Star from Serbia 86-84. Their next game is on October 20 when they take on Spartak Subotica at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE with tip-off at 7pm.

The home team will be hoping coach Golemac’s wishes come true, after he said he wanted the Coca-Cola Arena to turn into a fortress for the hosts.

“I want to really congratulate the fans,” Golemac had said. “I was really surprised that they came in big numbers to support us. They gave us the extra energy. I really wish in the future that Coca-Cola Arena is going to be an even bigger hit and that more fans are going to come. With that kind of backing, it’s going to be very, very hard to beat us here.”

With Spartak’s Bolton Rasir leading the league in points per game and currently seated third in the MVP race, expect another epic contest. Tickets available here.