MEGA IN THE FINISH DROPPED WIN AGAINST PRIMORSKA
Mega Bemax’s basketball players had several opportunities to turn the match in their favor in the match of 18th round of the ABA League, but Koper Primorska eventually celebrated with 93:87 (15:25, 28:17, 25:20, 25: 25) in a match played at Arena Bonifika. Coach Dejan Milojevic’s players gained lead in the middle of last quarter in the match full of reversals, but the finish was entirely belonged to Primorska, which eventually came to their 11th win in ABA League. Coach Mega could not count on Edin Atic who did not travel with the team due to illness, nor on Jurij Macura who missed the match due to injury.
The most efficient in the Mega Bemax ranks were Kendrick Perry with 22 points and Nikola Miskovic with 16. In Slovenian team featured Nejc Baric with 24 points and Sterling Gibbs with 23.
After 18 rounds of the ABA league, Mega Bemax has score 4-14, while Koper Primorska has 11 wins and 7 losses. The next game of Mega Bemax will be played on Friday, February 7 at 8 pm when they will play in Zagreb against Cibona.
Dejan Milojevic started the match with five Perry, Nenadic, Mesicek, Miskovic and Simonovic. Mega opens the match with the dunks of Simonovic and Miskovic, to take 1:6 after free throws of Mesicek. The home team scores the first points of the game after 3 minutes, but on the other hand, the Mega players did not had a solution in the attack for a few minutes and the result was 8:6 in the middle of the quarter. Post of Mega in offense interrupts Perry with a great layup. Mega’s good defense in the coming minutes brings a plus of 5, after the Hodzic three, Perry replied with the same measure for 14:19 with a minute to finish. Gibbs hits one free throw, and by the end of the quarter, Mega with threes of Nenadic and Perry came to plus 10 after the first quarter, 15:25.
Cerovina and Nenadic kept Mega’s lead early in the second quarter. The home team with the mini-runs tries to catch the the Mega, but Mega with good defense manages to get easy points in the attack. Cerovina ties two excellent blocks, but Primorska approaches to 5 points. The triple of Mesicek brings a plus 3, 31:39 with 4 minutes until the half. Primorska manages to punish mistakes in the defense of Mega, but on the other hand Mega players from difficult positions failed to score, so the result is 40:41 with minute until the end. Mesicek hits one free throw, Gibbs hits a triple for the home team and the score is 43:42 at halftime.
After the halftime break home team took the lead of 6, 55:49, after just over 3 minutes. Mega was able to connect the defense, Primorska had harder job to score in the next few minutes, but Mega’s players failed to materialize it in the attack. A series of poor decisions by Mega on both sides of the field brought a plus 9 for home team which Perry with three downed it to 6 points in the final seconds of the quarter so the result after 30 minutes was 68:62.
Miskovic with two triples brings the equalizer at the start of the last quarter. After exchanging points on both sides, Primorska with Gibbs’ triple reached plus 5, 75:70. Perry and Nenadic with 0:6 series in less than a minute brought back lead to Mega 75:76, but in the next few minutes Mega’s series of turnovers and missed shots opened up space for the 8:0 series for Primorska and 83:76 with 3 minutes until the end. Simonovic dropped minus to 5 points from free throws, but a key three from 10 meters hit Lazic at the end of the attack, after which Mega failed to threaten Primorska’s victory which was final 93:87.
Koper Primorska: Gibbs 23, Hrovat, Baric 24, Kosi 4, Ciani, Lazic 7, Hodzic 19, Dimec 3, Nemanic 5, Lukovic 8 (11 rebounds), Voncina.
Mega Bemax: Miskovic 16, Perry 22 (9 rebounds, 6 assists), Marjanovic, Asceric 7, Simonovic 10 (9 rebounds), Nenadic 12, Cerovina 5, Brekic, Tanaskovic, Stanic 2, Mesicek 13.
Photo: Koper Primorska/Ziga Mikeli