HISTORICAL KORAC CUP FOR MEGA!
Mega Leks reached their first trophy in the club’s history as in a great match beat Partizan 85:80 (24:23, 22:25, 20:16, 19:16) and won the Radivoj Korac Cup. In the crowded hall “Cair” in Nis, Mega were losing in the finish with 5 points difference but with a series of 9:0 reversed match and finally reached “Zuckova levica”.
MVP title took Nikola Ivanovic, who scored 24 points and was accompanied by Danilo Nikolic with 18. In addition to the stunning party in the attack, Ivanovic in a last attack of Partizan managed to block Milutinovic shot for overtime for a big celebration on the court of Cair.
Mega did not started the match good and after 3 minutes were losing with 2:9. With threes from Nikolic and Luwawu-Cabarrot returned to game and then after dunking arrives the lead 16:11. Partizan with threes din not let pull off and the score after first quarter was 24:23.
A series of triplets in the second quarter Partizan reaches plus 7 but Mega has not given up and with the points of Zagorac, Ivanovic and Nikolic has melted the advantage at a first half with 46:48.
Big problems for Mega in the third quarter was the fourth foul of Luwawu-Cabarrot. Partizan in mid-quarters goes to plus 5 but Nikolic and Ivanovic with the triplets returning lead 66:64 for the last 10 minutes.
Partizan started the last period with a series of 0:7 but Zagorac and Kaba hold Mega in the game. The problem with fouls puts out the best players Ivanovic and Nikolić. It was 73:73 with a little more than 4 minutes to go, and then came series of Partizan 0: 5. This was followed by a fantastic response from Mega in the last 3 minutes of the first as the three from Nikolic, then dunk from Kaba and steal and assist from Ivanovic for lay-up from Luwawu-Cabarrot took Mega in lead. Mega makes a series of 9:0, Partizan in the last seconds of the game tried with three from Milutinovic the score for overtime but block from Ivanovi announced the big celebration on the court and historically trophy for the club.
Mega Leks: Simic, Jaramaz 4, Veljkovic, Music, Ivanovic 24 (index 31), Pavlovic, Luwawu-Cabarrot 13 (5 assists), Kaba 10 (6 rebounds), Zagorac 9, Simeunovic, Nikolic 18 (5 rebounds), Jankovic 7 (7 rebounds).
Partizan NIS: Cvetkovic 14, Aranitovic, Jones 4, Muric 16, Marinkovic 16, Tanaskovic, Vitkovac, Koprivica 2, Milutinovic 7, Williams 4, Jovanovic, Wilson.
Photo: Ivica Veselinov/Mega Leks