ANOTHER TIGHT FINISH AND WIN OF MEGA AGAINST CIBONA FOR THE SCORE 7-2 BEFORE THE BREAK

After a better game in the second half and an exciting finish, Mega Bemax beat Cibona with 82:80 (15:18, 22:22, 27:22, 18:18) within the match of the 9th round of the ABA league played at the hall PSC Pinki in Sremska Mitrovica. The players of coach Dejan Milojevic showed a good reaction after last week’s defeat to Krka after they defended the last attack of Cibona and thus reached the 7th league victory. The coach of Mega Bemax at this match could not count on Kostja Mushidi who missed the match because of the illness while for the first time since the beginning of the ABA league, Branislav Ratkovica was in roster, but he did not enter the game.

The most effective in the ranks of Mega Bemax were Goga Bitadze with 28 points, 12 of them in the last quarter, and Luka Asceric with 16 points, adding 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Ivan Novacic scored 14 points for Cibona.

Mega Bemax will have a break with the FIBA ​​World Cup qualification window with a score of 7-2 while Cibona will remain at 3 wins. In the next round on December 10tjh at 21:00, Mega will play in Podgorica against Buducnost VOLI.

Dejan Milojević started the match with Asceric, Mokoka, Atic, Fundic and Bitadze. At the beginning of the match, there were several lost balls on both sides and the result was 4:3 after 4 minutes. Bitadze is good at defending with a block and a steal, and then tied points in the attack. Asceric and Marjanovic hit the triples for 12:7, but the weaker game in the attack followed, so Cibona equalized at 13:13. Asceric hits layup, Cibona answered with mini-series 0:5 for 15:18 after the first 10 minutes of the game.

The beginning of the second quarter belongs to the guests from Zagreb, who arrive to the plus 8, 17:25. Fundic assisted for the dunk of Stanic and then Mokoka hits three for 22:25. However, Cibona returns with 0:5, but Mega’s players managed to consolidate themselves in the defense, so they are trailing only 2 points, 32:34. Cibona punished turnovers of Mega and returns a plus eight with two triples. However, the finish belongs to Mega, first Janjic hits the corner three and then Miskovic hits under the basket for 37:40 at halftime.

Mega opens the second half well, first Asceric hits trišče, and then Fundic is precise under the basket for lead 42:40. After threes on both sides, the period of good game of Mega confirms Janjic with a triple for 54:46. However, the problem is the 4th persolan foul for Mokoka that goes to the bench, and Mega”s players did not manage to get bigger advantage because of Cibona’s three pointers and the result is 64:62 before the fourth quarter.

The last quarter better started Cibona, with a triple and dunk after offensive rebound for 64:67. Bitadze is unstoppable under the basket, but no team is able to lead with more than 3 points. Asceric hit three for 74:73 with 3 minutes to the end but Novacic returns on the other side with the same measure. Bitadze hits both free throws and then lay up and another free throw for 79:76. There followed a couple of missed shots on both sides, and Novacic reduce lead of Mega to 1 point. Bitadze in the last second of the attack hits under the paint for plus 3 with 14 seconds to the end. Marjanovic fouls Uljarević for 3 points, but Cibona’s player hits two out of three. Asceric was immediately fouled and half precise from the free-throw line line for 82:80 with 5 seconds to finish. After a time-out, Mega played a good defense, and Maric, from a difficult position from the corner, misses three pointer and then followed celebration of Mega’s players on the court for a new win.

Mega Bemax: Janjic 6, Marjanovic 4, Ratkovica, Asceric 16 (7 rebounds, 7 assists, index 27), Miskovic 4, Carapic 3, Atic, Bitadze 28 (6 rebounds, 3 blocks, index 34), Koprivica, Mokoka 11, Fundic 8 (8 rebounds), Stanic 2.

Cibona: Bilinovac 3, Uljarevic 10, M. Ljubicic 12, Maric 6, Bundovic 6, Gilbert 6, Novacic 14, Rozic 9, K. Ljubicic 2, Slavica, Jefferson 8, Markota 5.

Photo: Mega Bemax/Ivica Veselinov