After losing twice in a row, Georgian national basketball team beat Ukraine 69:53 in the fourth round of EuroBasket. Georgians gained a chance of taking the third place.

Georgians lost the first quarter with 7 points (10:17) but then they improved playing and gained the most important victory. Giorgi Tsintsadze (14 p.), Manuchar Markoishvili (14) and Tornike Shengelia (12) played a key role in success of Georgians. Good playing of Tsintsadze is worth mentioning.

We asked Nugzar Kandelaki, head coach of Samedicino, to make comment about the mentioned match.

- First of all, I want to congratulate on victory of Georgian team.

- Thank you very much. I congratulate you and the whole Georgia on this victory. Our team has almost guaranteed playing in the next round.

- Bulgaria is our opponent in the last round of Group D. Do you think we have guaranteed victory in tomorrow’s match?

- I have watched playing of Bulgaria. If miracle does not happen, we will win this match. Filip Videnov is leader of the team. As for naturalized American basketball player Earl Rowland, he is a middle level sportsman.

- Let us talk about today’s match. At what expense, did Georgia manage to beat the opponent?

- Unlike the previous matches, our zone defense worked this time. We did not lose the ball many times. Our team gained the most important victory in its history.

- While discussing the match of Georgia and Slovenia, you mentioned that Georgians should not use zone defense. But it worked against Ukrainians…

- I did not say that we must not use zone defense. We should make it but if it does not work, we must change it. We know that Slovenia is not Ukraine. If Ukrainians had used three points like Slovenians did, the score would have been different.

- Which player would you name as the best from our team?

- Everybody played well. Tsintsadze was the best today. Markoishvili, Shengelia and Sanikidze played a key role in this victory.

Roland Labuchidze