During the first halftime the South Koreans kept dictating the rhythm, but in the second part of the match the Slovenians finally started to play their game. After returning from the locker room they closed ranks in defence, and consequently improved the attack, winning by 89:72. In the first half time the South Koreans got more rebounds, but in the second half time the Slovenians controlled that part of the game as well, and during the match caught six more balls than the opponents. Alen Omić did very well, and was among the best players, together with the Dragić brothers and Domen Lorbek, again the best Slovenian attacker. He excelled by scoring double digits twice, i.e. he scored 13 points and caught 11 rebounds.
Defence must be improved
The South Koreans surprised the Slovenians by their unusual game. Their approach was different from warming up on – their fitness trainer used a whistle. Goran Dragić joked after the match that it showed they had discipline. They surprised the Slovenian captain by their fitness, as they did everything in full sprint. "We might have underestimated them a little, subconsciously, but it was really very difficult to play against them. They kept moving, all the time. I would say they are the best physically prepared team at this championship. They have systems I have never seen before in my life. They caused us a number of problems. After hearing it from Jure in the locker room, we managed to join forces and played as we were supposed to."

Goran again excelled in attack, scoring 22 points, and also acted as a real team leader. When the players relaxed again in the last quarter of the match, and the game deteriorated, he calmed his co-players as soon as he stepped on the court, and gave them instructions. "We did well in attack, but we made too much mistakes in offence. We can't have that against such teams, let alone against better teams! It will be difficult to win without good defence. Jure was right in saying that our defence was poor. We are good in attack, but this time our defence was not good enough."
South Koreans follow no system
"A free day means you relax a bit too much, and than things become difficult. Already during the warm-up I was not in best shape, I believe it was the same with the other members of the team. It was a good lesson for our next match against Angola, as the same could happen. You just underestimate them a bit, and then they start causing you problems. You have to play your best from the very beginning, and gain the necessary advantage as soon as possible. In this way those players who usually play a bit less get the opportunity," added the experienced player of Phoenix.
Zoran Dragić, whose performance was a bit worse after his exceptional play against Mexico, but was still the second best with 13 points, was also surprised by the South Koreans. "It was a very strange match. The South Koreans don't follow any system, they just run in circles. We were rather confused. We had to get used to their game, which is quite unusual. It was difficult for us, but in the end we deserved the victory. We were also lucky they failed to score a couple of times from open positions; had they gained more advantage, it would have been really difficult for us."
The situation is more or less clear
"We have spent a lot of strength, as our concentration was poor. The game they play is rather strange, and it is tiring as you simply don't know what to expect from them. So you run up and down, and use too much energy," explained 25-year old basketball player from Ljubljana, and added that they are focused now on Angola. "Angola has a better team. Only two of the players were present in China, where we played against them. They are dangerous, but we must win."
Next we have to win against the African champions, and on Thursday against Lithuania Slovenia will be in control of its own destiny. Lithuanians lost against Australia, and if they win against Slovenia by 8 points, Zdovc's team will keep the first place in the group. But a defeat by more than 13 points, if everything goes as predicted, would place them at the third position, which is just as satisfactory. Obviously, everybody would like to avoid the second place in the group, as the expected development in the Bilbao group, and a victory in the eighth finals, would result in a match against the USA in the quarter finals.