FREE THROWS TOOK MEGA TO THE DEFEAT AGAINST PARTIZAN

Mega Bemax failed to make a surprise start to the ABA Super Cup as they lost to Partizan NIS with 86:73 (18:21, 28:12, 25:16, 15:24) in the first quarterfinal match at KC “Drazen Petrovic”. Dejan Milojevic’s players had a positive result after the first quarter, but in the continuation of the game they played far weaker in defense with a large number of missed free throws, 20 throughout the match, so Partizan came up with a convincing 27 points advantage. Mega managed to play significantly better in the last quarter and lowered the minus to 10 points, so the game ended with Partizan’s win 86:73.

The most efficient in the Mega Bemax ranks were Marko Simonovic with 17 points and Edin Atic with 11 points. In Partizan stoof out Marcus Paige with 21 points and Stefan Bircevic with 16.

Dejan Milojevic started the match with Asceric, Trifunovic, Atic, Simonovic, Stanic. Good defense of Mega at the beginning of the match, where with triples of Simonovic and Trifunovic get a 6:9 advantage. Thomas is very good in the black and white ranks, but Miskovic and Macura retained the advantage of Mega, 12:17. The score after the first 10 minutes is 18:21 for Mega.

A slow start to the second quarter for Mega, so Partizan gets the lead, 26:25. Mega then played well in defense, but with a few missed free throws failed to regain the lead, which punished Paige with 3 threes in the short period for 37:28. Partizan’s series is interrupted by Simonovic’s dunk, but the black and whites get a double-digit 42:30 advantage. New problems with missed free throws that were even 10 in the second quarter for Mega, so the result is minus 13 at halftime, 46:33.

In the third quarter, Mega players couldn’t do anything on either side, so Partizan punished that with points from all positions. The difference was 27 points at one point, and in the finish Mega managed to ease it by 71:49 before the last quarter.

In the last quarter, the players with less minutes were given a chance, Mega played more specifically in the attack, and managed to reduce the minus to 14 points in the middle of the last section, 78:64 with good rolls of Tanaskovic and Cerovina. With points of Simonovic Mega came to 10 points and the final score was 86:73.

Partizan NIS: Walden 2, Paige 21, Gordic 9, Parakhouski 2, Jaramaz 2, Miletic, Velickovic, Bircevic 16, Jankovic 5, Thomas 15, Peiners 8, Mosley 6.

Mega Bemax: Miskovic 5, Trifunovic 10, Atic 11, Marjanovic 3, Asceric 2, Music, Carapic 1, Simonovic 17 (9 rebounds), Cerovina 5, Macura 3, Tanaskovic 8, Stanic 8.

Photo: Cibona/Željko Baksaj