Maljkovic: We're a more mature team than a year ago

ISTANBUL (FIBA World Championship for Women) - Serbia's maiden appearance at a FIBA World Championship for Women is already hailed as one of the big success stories at Turkey 2014 with the team set to face hosts Turkey in the Quarter-Final clash scheduled for 19:00 local time (GMT +3) at Fenerbahce Arena on Friday.

Coach Marina Maljkovic is a bundle of emotions talking about their second contest against Turkey in a little more than a year.

Serbia lost to Turkey in the Third-Place Game at EuroBasket Women 2013.

The advantage Maljkovic counts on to reverse that result is the "maturity" of the team.

"Based on age, we are one of the youngest teams here, but as a whole we are a lot more mature," said the 32-year-old coach, indisputably the youngest among her peers in Turkey.

"We have a lot more experience now."

As human beings, my players are more mature and can handle pressure better. - Maljkovic

A date with the host nation also means that Serbia will play in front of the largest and most partisan crowd they've seen yet at the tournament.

"That's the least we expect of Turkey. We expect a great atmosphere with all the fans supporting the home team," she said.

"It will be a pleasure to play in a full gym."

Maljkovic was also cautious about her team's prospects.

"We need to play the game (like) we did against the USA and Angola," she warned.

"We have to play our game. We need to improve our defense. We need to make no more mistakes like we did in our last two games."

Meanwhile, an appearance at the Last Eight stage of the FIBA World Championship for Women is a dream come true for the Dabovic sisters, Ana and Milica.

"This is the biggest game of our basketball careers so far," they said in unison.

The two siblings have been reliable in their contributions to Serbia's cause.

"We have to play at our best. We will take a lot of heart going into the game. I'm counting on her to come good," Milica Dabovic said pointing to her sister.

Ana Dabovic responded: "We need her brains to be working at the best. We need to play smart."

Jelena Milovanovic the third vertex of a three-prong Serbian offense machine chipped in: "We need both of their fire. We need the whole team to execute what we plan. We can't afford any mistakes."

FIBA