MANILA — Montenegro scored a convincing win over Mexico on Friday to start their 2023 FIBA World Cup stint on a good note.

• FIBA: Vucevic tows Montenegro past Mexico to open World Cup campaign

“It was important to start off with a win against a team that doesn’t necessarily suit us. They play very fast, high-tempo, but we responded well. We did everything we talked about,” the 6-foot-9 Chicago Bulls star said after putting up 27 points, 10 rebounds, and two rejections.

For Vucevic, the way that they won shows that they learned from their 25th-place finish in their first-ever World Cup appearance during the tournament’s 2019 edition.

“For us, that was the first time in the World Cup. We were inexperienced, we really didn’t know what to expect, so it was a little bit different,” he said.

“A lot of us now have already been to one World Cup and a couple of EuroBaskets, so that helps. We also are a couple of years older, so we’re more experienced as players in general, we know each other better. All that helps.”

But the former USC Trojan maintained that there should be no comparisons between the two squads, and their only focus is getting enough wins to be able to advance to the next round.

“I don’t like to compare teams, which is better than the other, each team has its strengths and weaknesses,” he said.

“We better focus on the team now.”

The Black Mountains will be hoping to get their second win on August 27 when they face Egypt at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

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