MEGA HAD LEAD FOR LONG IN LJUBLJANA, CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA WITH TOUGH THREES TO THE WIN

Mega led in Ljubljana for a long time, Olimpija resolved the match with two difficult threes in the finish!

In the game of the last 26th round of the ABA league in Ljubljana, Mega Soccerbet lost to Cedevita Olimpija with 85:79 (19:30, 20:20, 26:15, 20:14). Coach Vladimir Jovanovic’s team had the advantage for most of the match in Arena Stozice, which at one point amounted to 15 points, but the home team first catched minus at the end of the third quarter, and in the very finish with two three-pointers from difficult positions came to victory. Coach pf Mega could not count in this match on Filip Petrusev and Mihailo Jovicic due to injuries.

The most efficient in the ranks of Mega were Marko Simonovic with 15 points and 19 rebounds and Karlo Matkovic with 14 points. Nikola Jović (17), who had 12 points and 6 rebounds, was also excellent, as well as Nikola Djurisic (17), who, after his debut in the last round, scored the first points in Mega’s jersey, a total of 8 in 14 minutes of play. Jaka Blazic stood out in Cedevita Olimpija with 30 points.

In this way, Mega finished the season in the ABA league at an excellent sixth place with a score of 14-12, while Cedevita Olimpija is fifth with 18-8.

Mega started the match with the following five: Smith, Cazalon, Jovic, Simonovic, Matkovic. The very beginning of the game belongs to the home team, which after a few minutes of the game leads with 11:6. Smith and Momirov soon return the tie, so that Simonovic and Matkovic converted good Smith’s assists in the next minutes. With the result of 17:15, a great run of Mega starts. Momirov is again accurate for three and the first points in the Mega jersey are scored by Djurisic from the free throw line. After entering the game, Miškovic hits a jump shot and then dunks brilliantly, and the quarter ended with an attractive pass from Tepic behind the back for Djurisic’s points, a run of Mega 2:15 and a result of 19:30 after 10 minutes of play.

The run of the home team 5:0 at the beginning of the second quarter was interrupted by Jovic with two three-pointers for plus 12 for Mega, 24:36. Mega is playing great on both sides of the field with a great block by Matkovic, so Mega reaches the maximum plus 15 in this quarter, 28:43 in four minutes until halftime. The home team managed to catch their breath and reduce the difference to nine points, mostly from the free throw line, but Simonovic scored in the finish after an offensive rebound for 39:50 for Mega at halftime.

Simonović interrupted the run 5:0 of the home team with a triple off the glass. Mega’s attack does not work great in those moments, but on the other hand, the defense is at a very high level, so the home team is without points for a few minutes. Matkovic dunks to reach his 14th point, and after a great assist of Smith, Jović dunks under a foul for plus 12 for Mega, 46:58. This was followed by a period of weaker play by Mega, who did not choose the best solutions in the attack, while Cedevita Olimpija, led by Blazic, started to score from all positions. Mega’s advantage melted from minute to minute, even the home team took a short lead, but they went to the break before the last quarter with a draw 65:65, after a point from Simonović’s offensive rebound, which was his already 17th rebound in the game.

An equal game at the beginning of the last quarter, where the teams take turns in the lead with very nice points from Djurisić after rolling and under a foul. The home team managed to take the lead of four points in four minutes until the end of 77:73. Momirov tramples the line for three point when he hit the shot. After Cedevita’s miss and Mega’s rebound, the referees called technical Mega due to an objection, so that the home team with two very hard hit threes, the first Blazic under foul and the second Rupnik from more than ten meters, would solve the question of the winner for the final 85:79.

Cedevita Olimpija: Radovic, Perry 10, Hopkins 11, Duscak, Muric 3, Blazic 30, Brown 8, Hodzic, Jones 9, Dimec 6, Marinkovic, Rupnik 8.

Mega Soccerbet: Jovic 12 (6 rebounds), Miskovic 4, Smith 10 (8 assists), Tepic 3, Kljajevic, Momirov 10, Simonovic 15 (19 rebounds), Cerovina, Matkovic 14 (7 rebounds), Cazalon 3, Langovic, Djurisic 8.

Foto: Cedevita Olimpija/Ales Fevzer