THE size and NBA pedigree of big man Boban Marjanovic spelled the difference down the stretch in Serbia’s close 83-76 win over Gilas Pilipinas in their Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament match early Thursday (Manila time).
The 7-foot-4 Dallas Mavericks center took over when the home team appeared on the verge of an endgame collapse, scoring on back-to-back baskets and pulling off a crucial defensive rebound that allowed the Serbs to escape with a second straight win in Group A of the five-day qualifier.
Marjanovic finished with a game-high 25 points, the last four coming inside the final 63 seconds that gave Serbia an 81-76 advantage.
“Boban just took over,” messaged champion coach Ryan Gregorio, special assistant to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al S. Panlilio, who was among those who stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning to watch how the young Filipinos gave the No. 5 ranked Serbs a big scare coming home.
Serbian coach Igor Kokoskov acknowledged the huge presence of Marjanovic for his team in the stretch run.
"He's making difference. His presence on the court, obviously you can't coached size," he said.
"But he's not just about size. He's a good basketball player. He knows how to play, he knows how to use his body, and he's creating a lot of damage in the paint. Good voice and good energy, he's got an unbelievable nature and a positive guy. He's a unique player and we are fortunate as a program to have Boban playing for us this summer."
Close call for Serbia
Before Marjanovic’s endgame heroics, Gilas was knocking on the door and was just down a point, 76-77, on a Justine Baltazar basket with 2:03 remaining.
Marjanovic, 32, also pulled down 10 rebounds including one from the defensive end following a missed layup by Filipino big man Kai Sotto in the final 25 seconds.
He finished the game going 12-of-18 from the field as he continues to show the way for the unbeaten Serbs in the absence of main man Nikolai Jokic.
Marjanovic, undrafted in the NBA, also had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds in Serbia’s 94-76 win over Dominican Republic in the opener of the Belgrade qualifier.
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