MEGA MISSED CHANCE, IGOKEA CELEBRATED IN BELGRADE

Mega missed the chance for a big reversal, Igokea celebrated in the Hall of Sports!

Mega Soccerbet lost to Igokea in the derby match of the 14th round of the ABA league with 84:86 (24:26, 17:25, 21:17, 22:18). In the match that was played without the presence of the audience in the Hall of sports Ranko Zeravica, coach Vladimir Jovanovic’s team managed to return several times from the result gap, which was maximum of 15 points, but the guests managed to defend themselves from all Mega’s attacks and eventually came to the victory.

The best in the ranks of Mega were Filip Petrusev with 27 points and Milenko Tepic and “Scoochie” Smith with 16 points each. Former Mega player Edin Atic was the best in the Igokea with 28 points.

After 14 rounds of the ABA league, Mega Soccerbet has nine wins and five defeats, while Igokea has a score of 10-3 with a match less. In the next round, Mega will play away against Zadar on Sunday, January 17 at 5 pm.

Before the start of the match, the General Manager of Mega, Goran Cakic, handed a special gift to the former club’s captain Edin Atic.

Vladimir Jovanovic started the match with the following five: Smith, Cerovina, Momirov, Simonovic, Petrusev. A better start for the visiting team, which is leading on the wings of Atic with 5:11 after four minutes of play. Simonovic tied the points, but due to another personal foul, he went to the bench. Tepic hits in the attack from all positions, but Igokea responds with threes for the lead of 17:22. Tepic is unstoppable with already 11 points, and the result of the first quarter is set by Jovicic with a triple in the last second for 24:26.

Petrusev hits twice from the racket and Mega approaches the point behind, so that Igokea responds with two baskets in 28:33. A period of several minutes followed without points on both sides. Igokea manages to respond to Mega’s attacks, so the gap is three to seven points. Kljajevic hits a three-pointer, and soon after he is accurate from the free throw line, but Atic keeps the advantage of the visiting team with two three-pointers for his already 20th point, 39:46 in a little less than two minutes until the end of the half. However, the finish of the quarter belonged to Igokea, who after the offensive rebounds reached a double-digit advantage at halftime, 41:51.

Igokea got the maximum plus 15 at the beginning of the third quarter, to which Mega responded with a series of 7:0 for 50:58, and after Josilo’s points, Mega reduced the difference to six points through Simonovic and Petrusev, 54:60 with three and a half minutes until the end of the quarter. Mega’s great defense continued, the gap was reduced to only two points, but Mega’s mistakes were punished by Igokea, so the result before the last quarter was 62:68.

Petrusev is excellent at the beginning of the last quarter, Mega came close again with to two points, but Josilo scored a triple for the guests. Simonovic manages well under the basket for 70:71, but again Igokea hits for three. Two good defenses of Mega followed, Smith hit lay-up, and Mega from the next attack did not hit a three for the lead, after which Igokea resolved the question of the winner with a series of 0:7. By the end of the game, Mega managed to reduce the gap so that Petrusev could set the final score, 84:86, with two plus one.

Mega Soccerbet: Jovic, Miskovic, Smith 16, Petrusev 27 (7 rebounds), Tepic 16 (5 assists), Kljajevic 5, Momirov, Simonovic 15 (10 rebounds), Jovicic 3, Cerovina, Matkovic 2, Langovic.

Igokea: Vulic 2, Clemmons 15, Atic 28, Jovanovic 2, Josilo 14, Talic 9, Ilic, Pot 2, Waller 6, Carmichael 4, Fundic 4, Kondic.

Photo: Mega Soccerbet/Ivica Veselinov