By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After defeating Fenerbahce Beko in Istanbul and Partizan Mozzart Beta in the Belgrade derby, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet fell in Round 15 of the ABA League.
Cedevita Olimpija defeated the regional league leaders 96-86 in Ljubljana, snapping their nine-win streak in the ABA League and handing them the second loss of the season.
Karlo Matkovic led the winning side with 23 points and seven rebounds, for a game-high PIR of 31, while Zoran Dragic returned to the squad with the new head coach Zoran Martic and contributed with 19 points in a big win for the Slovenian champions.
DJ Stewart added 15 points, Jaka Blazic scored 14 against his former team, while Justin Cobbs added 12 and Gregor Glas 10 points.
For Crvena Zvezda, who played without injured Nikola Topic and Luka Mitrovic, Yago dos Santos stood out with 24 points and a PIR of 29, playing his best game of the season so far.
Nemanja Nedovic followed with 24 points as well, while Rokas Giedraitis added 17 points.
Partizan cruised past Krka to tighten the gap
Partizan Mozzart Bet immediately used the opportunity to close the gap after Crvena Zvezda’s loss and routinely defeated Krka at Stark Arena 96-76.
Zeljko Obradovic‘s side is now 11-4, still trailing two wins behind the city rivals, while Cedevita Olimpija is also on 11-4. Krka fell to 3-12.
Zach LeDay was once again on the sidelines due to a hip injury, while Alen Smailagic also missed the match against the Slovenian team, but Uros Trifunovic returned to the court and scored five points in less than 15 minutes of play.
All the players Obradovic used got to the scoring sheet, with Tristan Vukcevic standing out with 16 points. Frank Kaminsky added 11 points, while Jaleen Smith, Balsa Koprivica, and Bruno Caboclo added 10 points each.
For the losing side, Jan Span had 15 points, while Jairus Hamilton, Leon Stregar, Miha Cerkvenik, and Jurij Macura added 10 apiece.
ABA League Round 15 results:
Igokea – Split 77-80 OT
Buducnost – Mornar 103-100 OT
FMP – Cibona 72-77
Cedevita Olimpija – Crvena Zvezda 96-86
Partizan – Krka 96-76
Borac – Mega (08/01)
Zadar – Studentski centar (09/01)
Standings: Crvena zvezda 13-2, Partizan 11-4, Cedevita Olimpija 11-4, Buducnost 10-5…
Photo: ABA League/Cedevita Olimpija/Tine Ruzic