There are some games which you lose but have the feeling of satisfactory. The Georgian national team lost two from three games at EuroBasket 2013 but nobody can criticize the boys. The Georgian basketball players who were considered as one of the outsiders of the tournament fight in all games.

The team of Igor Kokoskov played host Slovenia in the third round of EuroBasket and lost 68:72 in the most dramatic game. 4580 fans attended the game at “Zlatorog Arena”. Most of them were Slovenians. But Georgians fans left the arena with their head up high.

Perhaps, the Georgian team will not make through to the second group stage but one thing must be said – we are proud of our team and they proved that they deserve the place among the best teams of Europe. In spite of the bad result, one fact is obvious – the Georgian national team is better team than it was in Lithuania in 2011.

As for the previous game, it was very dramatic. The team could not earn point for the first 2.5 minutes. Giorgi Shermadini was the first to score 2 points and advanced the guests.

The zone defense of Igor Kokoskov worked. The Slovenians could not earn points and the Georgians were advancing. In the first quarter Viktor Sanikidze gained 9 points and our team was winning 19:13.

The Georgians won the third quarter and rebounded in offence 20 times (!). But there was the second quarter which decided the fate of the game. It was the moment when referees of the game played their role and the Slovenians were lucky.

When the Georgian team advanced 26:15, the referees gave the Georgians unreal technical fouls. The main thing was that the referees “could not see” fouls of the hosts. After the game the Slovenian fans came up to us and apologized – if not the referees, we could not have won this game – they told us.

The second quarter turned out decisive. The hosts scored 6 (!) 3 pointers in a row and won the quarter 31:13. They advanced 44:32 before the break. In the first half the Slovenians scored 8 from 13 3 pointers and in the second – 1 from 14 3 pointers. The Slovenians lost advantage in the second half.

The Georgian team won the third quarter 14:10. Before the start of the last quarter the Georgians were losing with 8 points and was close to victory.

Thanks to 2 pointers of Manuchar Markoishvili (10 points, 5 rebounds) and Viktor Sanikidze (17 points, 13 rebounds), there was only one point difference. When the score was 61:62, “Manu” stole and Ricky Hickman (19 points, 7 rebounds) attacked. He shot 3 points and if he had scored it, we could have advanced but…

In the next offence Domen Lorbek scored the only 3 pointers from the Slovenians. After the turnover of Tsintsadze, Lorbek earned another 2 points. One minute and half were left before the final siren and the hosts advanced 67:61.

The Georgian team was in tough situation but they almost found a way out. After two free throws of Hickman, Goran Dragic scored 2 points and Viktor Sanikidze – 3 points. Lorbek scored one free throw and Besik Lezhava – 2 points – 68:70.

In the next offence the Georgians played well in defense but we were not lucky. Zoran Dragic shot and the hosts advanced 72:68.

After 3 rounds the Georgians have scored the most – 228 points in Group C but is in the fourth place with 1 win and 2 losses. The Georgian basketball players have only theoretical chance to go through the next round. For that today we must beat Czech Republic and Slovenia must defeat Croatia.

EuroBasket 2013. Group C. Celje (Slovenia). III round. 4580 spectators

Georgia - Slovenia 68:72 (19:13, 13:31, 14:10, 22:18)

Georgia: Tsintsadze (36 mins. 10 pts. 6 as.), Shermadini (29 mins. 7 pts. 5 rebs.), Markoishvili (35 mins. 10 pts. 5 rebs. 3 as.), Patsatsia (16 mins. 2 pts. 3 rebs.), Sanikidze (37 mins. 17 pts. 13 rebs.); Burjanadze (3 mins. 2 pts.), Hickman (29 mins. 19 pts. 7 rebs.), Lezhava (4 mins. 2 pts.), Tskitishvili (11 mins. 1 pts. 4 rebs.),

Head coach: Igor Kokoskov.

Slovenia: Balazic (11 mins.), Blazic (21 mins. 4 pts. 4 rebs.), G. Dragic (21 mins. 11 pts. 4 as.), Z. Dragic (20 mins. 12 pts. 3 rebs.), Begic (20 mins. 4 pts. 3 rebs.); Lakovic (17 mins. 6 pts. 3 rebs. 3 as.), Joksimovic (12 mins. 5 pts.), Muric (4 mins.), Nachbar (28 mins. 7 pts. 9 rebs.), Lorbek (26 mins. 18 pts.), Vidmar (20 mins. 5 pts. 6 rebs.).

Head coach: Bozidar Maljkovic.

Referees: Olegs Latisevs (Latvia), Petar Obradovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Chris Dodds (Great Britain).

Team stats

Slovenia - Georgia

Field goals: 21/62 – 27/61

2 pointers: 16/38 (42.1%) – 18/34 (52.9%)

3 pointers: 5/24 (20.8%) – 9/27 (33.3%)

Free throws: 21/30 (70.0%) – 9/17 (52.9%)

Rebounds: 45 (off 20) – 35 (def 10)

Assists: 12 – 12

Turnovers: 13 – 14

Steals: 6 – 5

Block-shots: 0 – 3

Personal fouls: 23 – 27

Point after turnover: 15 – 10

Point from 3-minute zone: 28:28

“Second chance” point: 11 – 4

Point after offence: 6 – 4

Substitutes point: 22 – 41

Biggest leadership: 11 – 13

Biggest “run”: 8:0 (16:7) – 16:0 (26:31)

Change of leader: 1

Draw score: 2

Leadership time: 11:52 – 25:02

Dato Manjavidze, special correspondent of www.worldsport.ge from Celje