INJURIES AND DEFENSE IN SECOND HALF COSTED MEGA WIN IN LJUBLJANA

Basketball players of Mega Bemax failed to celebrate in Ljubljana since they lost to Petrol Olimpija with 91:78 (15:20, 20:23, 26:18, 30:17) within the 15th round of ABA league. Players of coach Dejan Milojevic had advantage of 14 points in the first half, but they played a far weaker second half and dropped in the finish of the match for the 7th loss in the league. The coach of Mega Bemax at this match could not count on Kostja Mushidi, the center Filip Stanic was in the roster, but did not play because of injury and at the end of the half was injured Mokoka who then did not enter the game until the end of the match.

The most effective in the ranks of Mega Bemax were Zoran Nikolic with 19 points and Edin Atic with 17. In the ranks of Petrol Olimpija, the best was Domen Lorbek with 23 points.

After the 15th round of the ABA league, Mega Bemax has a score of 8-7 while Petrol Olimpija has 5 wins. In the next round on January 19th at 9 pm, Mega Bemax in Sremska Mitrovica will host Mornar.

Dejan Milojević started the match with Carapic, Mokoka, Atic, Fundic and Nikolic. Atic is very good at the start of the match with 6 points and then he was joined by Mokoka in the offence. Mega comes to a minimum lead, but Olimpija returns through Span. Koprivica scored twice in the paint and then Mokoka hit layup under the foul for 15:20 after the first 10 minutes of the game.

The great defense of Mega in the second quarter where they held Olimpija without point for of almost 4 minutes in the game, which is almost 7 if the end of the first quarter counts. Mega with series of points from all positions arrived at plus 14, 15:29. However, Olimpija managed to regain the game in the attack, so the minus of team from Ljubljana dropped to 6 points, 31:37. Mega in the finish through Carapic and Nikolic managed to maintain the lead, resulting in halftime lead 35:43, but the problem is Mokoka’s injury in the defense in the finish after which he did not return to the game until the end of the match.

Problems for Mega at the start of the second half when Olimpija with a series of points yields a difference to only 1, 48:49. Mega thrives through Fundic and Atic to increase the lead to 7 points, however, mistakes in the attack and missed free throws Olimpija used to get back and the points of Lorbek in the last second reached the equalizer 61:61 before the fourth quarter.

After the Fundic points at the beginning of the last quarter, Mega was a few minutes without a point, so Olimpija took 6 points lead. However, Mega through glossy Nikolic drops minus 1 point, 72:71 at 4 and a half minutes to the end. However, after the offensive rebound, Lorbek hit for Olimpija probably the key 10-meter triple. By the end of the match, Olimpija used a series of turnovers and missed shots of Mega and eventually celebrated with 91:78.

Petrol Olimpija: Jones 3, Tratnik 6, Span 13, Lazic 2, Samanic 9, Lorbek 23, Simonovic 8, Lapornik 13, Begic 9, Badzim, Sanon 5, Rebec.

Mega Bemax: Janjic 1, Marjanovic 5, Ratkovica, Asceric 6, Miskovic 3, Carapic 3, Atic 17 (5 rebounds), Koprivica 7 (5 rebounds), Nikolic 19 (9 rebounds), Mokoka 8, Fundic 9 (5 rebounds), Stanic.

Photo: Petrol Olimpija/Ales Fevzer