Maljkovic: 'We take it one game at a time'

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - Serbia's Group B win over China on Friday may have given them the spark they needed in the competition, but head coach Marina Maljkovic insists they have some work to do.

After a rough start which saw the European champions lose to Spain, Canada, and the USA, they look to be back in contention. 

And, if the Serbs can beat Senegal on Sunday, combined with a USA defeat of China, Maljkovic's charges will secure the final spot in Group B for the Quarter-Finals.

The 34-year-old play caller explained to FIBA.com what has changed and outlined the team's goals in Rio.

FIBA.com: Marina, your team has gone from having a foot out of the competition because of its poor start to the competition to being alive and in the battle to reach the Quarter-Finals. 
Maljkovic: We played our game against China and that's how we need to play, with many fast-breaks, aggressive defense. We are really happy but we need to finish the job if we want to stay here. We need to play a serious basketball game against Senegal, which I know very well after coaching three years in the French League. I know those players well as the main players of Senegal play there. I know what type of players they are… very athletic… even though they haven't won a game, we have a team that is gonna try and win against us.

FIBA.com: What did you do differently against China that you were unable to do against Spain, Canada, and the USA?
Maljkovic: I seriously think that we didn't have bad games. The last quarter against Canada, that was a disaster, but I still think that 25 minutes of that game we played great basketball. It hurt to lose that game. Against the USA, we were the team that lost with the smallest difference. We had 12 players scoring against them and we forced them into 20 turnovers. Against China, we were highly focused, and could play our game. We controlled the rebounding, which we were unable to do before, and we got the win.

With a win over China, the Serbs appear to be back in contention

FIBA.com: Now, that you still have a chance of advancing to the next round, can you talk about Serbia's goals in Rio?
Maljkovic: Before coming to Rio, I told the nation that because women's basketball has only been followed over the past couple of years, every single game here in Rio is gonna be like a final for us. We went with a goal to win, game by game, and really try not to be the last in the group. The Quarter-Finals was the main goal. We don't make goals for every championship we participate in. We take it one game at a time, trying to play the best way possible. That’s the most honest answer I can give.

FIBA