MEGA MIS BLOWS PAST IGOKEA IN THE CLOSING MINUTES FOR ANOTHER VICTORY IN PRESEASON

The Mega MIS basketball team defeated Igokea m:tel as part of their preparations for the upcoming season with a score of 79-67 (19-16, 15-17, 21-17, 25-17). Marko Barać’s squad, after a closely contested battle for most of the game, broke their opponent’s resistance in the final three minutes with a 13-4 run, securing a triumph at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall.

Oleksandr Kobzistyi shone with 24 points, displaying excellent shooting percentages: 6/9 from the field and 9/10 from the free-throw line. He initiated Mega’s crucial late-game run with eight consecutive points and finished as the most valuable player on the winning team with a PIR of 25. Uroš Plavšić narrowly missed a double-double, finishing the match with 15 points, while Andrija Jelavić was on the verge of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Stefan Miljenović added 11 points, and Petar Kovačević, with seven points, also grabbed nine rebounds under the rims.

Haris Delalić led Igokea with 12 points, while Marko Jeremić and Nikola Marić each contributed 11 points. Nikola Tanasković and Zoran Nikolić also scored in double digits, with 10 points each.

After a tough first half that ended in a tie (33-33), Mega MIS won the third quarter, entering the final break with a four-point lead (54-50). The deciding quarter saw intense competition, and Mega lost a key player midway through the period when Plavšić fouled out. However, this did not deter Barać’s team, and at a score of 64-63 with less than three minutes left, Kobzistyi took matters into his own hands, scoring eight consecutive points to give his team a crucial lead. He hit a three-pointer and was fouled while attempting a long-range shot, making two out of three free throws, and then sank another shot from beyond the 6.75-meter line, bringing the score to 72-65. Omercan Ilyasoglu sealed the victory with a three-pointer, making it 77-67 with 24 seconds remaining.

Mega MIS: Jelavić 10 (9 rebounds), Milutinović, Miljenović 11 (6 assists), Kobzistyi 24 (PIR 25), Ilyasoglu 9, Mušicki, Kovačević 7 (9 rebounds), Jović, Malovec 3, Paunović, Milosavčević, Plavšić 15 (9 rebounds)

Igokea m:tel: Milosavljević 2, Milovanović, Jeremić 11, A. Delalić 6, Bošković, Nakić, Tanasković 10, Stanković, Carmichael 5, H. Delalić 12, Marić 11, Nikolić 10

After two games against the University of Southern California team in Mykonos, Mega MIS convincingly defeated OKK Belgrade as part of their preseason preparations for the 2023/24 season in Serbia. Following the victory over Igokea, they are set to face tests against Romanian team Cluj (September 5) and Spartak Office Shoes (September 12) at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall, leading up to the start of the ABA Super Cup (from September 18 to 20).

Photo: Mega MIS