Serbia dismantles Dominican Republic ahead of clash with Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA OQT

Serbia will be taking on the Philippines with a lot of confidence following a triumphant 94-76 outing against the Dominican Republic to open the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Wednesday morning.

The host nation dismantled the visiting Dominicans courtesy of a fine performance from big man Boban Marjanovic who scored a team-high 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds, two assists, and a block.

The Dallas Mavericks' slotman got enough lifting from 27-year-old guard Vasilie Micic who finished with 16 markers, four boards, and five perfect dishes while Nemanja Bjelica of the Miami Heat chipped in 12 points.

The win gave Serbia, who ranks No. 5 in the world, something to build on when it clashes with the Filipinos early Thursday (Manila time).

However, Serbia head coach Igor Kokoskov was not fully satisfied by his wards' performance against the world No. 19 Dominican Republic.

According to him, they had lapses early in the game that almost cost them the game but credits to their adjustments in the latter part of the game, they still walked away with the win.

The Dominican Republic led for a good part of the first half and looked to be in the driver's seat going into the halftime break, 47-45, but Micic banked two free throws with four seconds left in the second quarter to tie the game at 47-apiece.

The game was close until the end of the third canto as Serbia was only leading by one, 67-66, but they unleashed a huge fourth quarter run to seal the deal at 94-76.

"It was, as expected, a very difficult game. We had to match their quickness (because) I don't think we matched their quickness and speed in the first half," Kokoskov said in the post-game presser.

"We had to contain the ball better. We started the game pretty well in terms of guarding the men one-on-one but after that, we got a little tired, and didn't have discipline enough to contain the ball. The main thing is the final result that we should be pleased and happy (about)."

Taking on Gilas tomorrow, Serbia hopes to sweep Group A while the Philippines vies for a crucial win to enter knockout rounds in the tournament that stakes a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News