Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.
ABA League round 9 most important game was a victory of Slovenian Cedevita Ol. over second-best Montenegrin Buducnost 82-81 on Saturday night. It was a key game for the second position in the league. Cedevita Ol. made 18-of-23 free shots (78.3 percent) during the game. 24 personal fouls committed by Buducnost helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a good game for American-Kosovan Shawn Jones (203-1992, college: MTSU) who saved his team from a defeat with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds. Swingman Jaka Blazic (196-1990) contributed with 13 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. American point guard McKinley Wright IV (183-1998, college: Colorado) answered with 16 points and 5 assists for Buducnost. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Cedevita Ol. (7-2) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. Defending Slovenian champion (7-2) moved-up to second place, which they share with Igokea. Defending Montenegrin champion Buducnost dropped to the fourth position with three games lost. They share it with Partizan. Cedevita Ol. is looking forward to face Zadar (#9) at home in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Buducnost will play against Borac (#8) in Cacak and is hoping to win this game.
One of the most interesting games of round 9 was a derby match between two teams from Serbia. The game took place in Beograd where fifth ranked Partizan outleveled visiting Borac CA (4-5) 101-56. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Borac CA. Power forward Tristan Vukcevic (209-2003) stepped up and scored 24 points and 6 rebounds for the winners and Mateusz Ponitka chipped in 13 points and 7 assists. The best for the losing side was American point guard Ronaldo Segu (183-1999, college: Buffalo) with 16 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Partizan (6-3) moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Buducnost. Borac at the other side keeps the eighth position with five games lost. They share it with Zadar. Partizan’s supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beograd to the arena FMP BG.
ABA League top team – Serbian Crvena Zvezda (8-1) had no problems winning another game on Monday. This time they crushed twelfth ranked Slovenian Krka (2-7) in Novo Mesto 90-67. Mike Tobey nailed 16 points for the winning side. Isaiah Cousins came up with 11 points for Krka in the defeat. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Crvena Zvezda. Defending Serbian champion maintains first place with 8-1 record. Loser Krka dropped to the thirteenth position with seven games lost. Crvena Zvezda will meet at home Cibona (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Krka will play against Split and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
There were no big surprises in other games of round 9: Mega BG beat Cibona on the road 83-69. FMP BG lost to SC Derby on its own court 86-99. Split managed to outperform Mornar in a road game 93-76. Igokea managed to beat Zadar at home 100-94.
The most impressive performance of 9th round was 28 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists by Luka Bozic of Zadar.
Buducnost – Cedevita Ol. 81-82
ABA League round 9 most important game was a victory of Slovenian Cedevita Ol. over second-best Montenegrin Buducnost 82-81 on Saturday night. It was a key game for the second position in the league. Cedevita Ol. made 18-of-23 free shots (78.3 percent) during the game. 24 personal fouls committed by Buducnost helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a good game for American-Kosovan Shawn Jones (203-1992, college: MTSU) who saved his team from a defeat with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds. Swingman Jaka Blazic (196-1990) contributed with 13 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. American point guard McKinley Wright IV (183-1998, college: Colorado) answered with 16 points and 5 assists and the other American import swingman Brandon Paul (193-1991, college: Illinois, agency: Pensack Sports) added 12 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Buducnost. Four Cedevita Ol. and five Buducnost players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Cedevita Ol. (7-2) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. Defending Slovenian champion (7-2) moved-up to second place, which they share with Igokea. Defending Montenegrin champion Buducnost dropped to the fourth position with three games lost. They share it with Partizan. Cedevita Ol. is looking forward to face Zadar (#9) at home in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Buducnost will play against Borac (#8) in Cacak and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Cedevita Ol.: D.Stewart Jr. 20+2reb+1ast, J.Cobbs 15+2reb+6ast, S.Jones 14+11reb, J.Blazic 13+9reb+2ast, K.Prepelic 7+2reb+3ast, A.Sow 6+3reb
Buducnost: M.Wright IV 16+4reb+5ast, C.Ross 15+4ast, J.Williams 13+3reb+1ast, B.Paul 12+6reb+1ast, M.Jones 11+4reb+1ast, V.Mihailovic 6+3reb+2ast
gschID: 1132651
Cibona – Mega BG 69-83
No shocking result in a game when seventh ranked Serbian Mega BG (5-4) beat 11th ranked Croatian Cibona (3-6) in Zagreb 83-69 on Friday. Croatian forward Andrija Jelavic (207-2004) nailed 15 points and 8 rebounds for the winning side and Turkish point guard Omer Ilyasoglu (193-2001) accounted for 18 points. Mega BG’s coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Forward Tomislav Buljan (205-2002, agency: Octagon Europe) came up with 13 points and 5 rebounds and Serbian Aleksandar Aranitovic (195-1998) added 11 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Cibona in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Mega BG moved-up to sixth place, which they share with SC Derby. Loser Cibona dropped to the tenth position with six games lost. They share it with FMP BG. Mega BG will meet SC Derby (#7) in the next round. Cibona will play against the league’s leader Crvena Zvezda in Beograd and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Mega BG: O.Ilyasoglu 18+2reb+3ast, D.Nikola 17+3reb, J.Andrija 15+8reb+2ast, T.Nikola 12+2reb+5ast, S.Miljenovic 8+2reb, J.Filip 7+5reb
Cibona: B.Tomislav 13+5reb+1ast, J.Mustapic 13+4reb+1ast, K.Radovcic 11+3ast, A.Aranitovic 11+7reb, D.Vukovic 7+3reb+2ast, A.Stein 5+1reb+1ast
gschID: 1132652
FMP BG – SC Derby 86-99
Rather expected game when 10th ranked Serbian FMP BG (3-6) lost to eighth ranked Montenegrin SC Derby (5-4) in Beograd 86-99 on Sunday. SC Derby shot 60.7 percent from the field. They also forced 20 FMP BG turnovers. Bosnian center Kenan Kamenjas (207-2000) nailed a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field) for the winning side and Croatian point guard Borna Kapusta (182-1996) accounted for 10 points and 9 assists. French guard Hugo Besson (191-2001) came up with 24 points and 4 steals and Montenegrin forward Bojan Subotic (203-1990) added 17 points respectively for FMP BG in the defeat. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. SC Derby moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Mega BG. FMP BG lost their third game in a row. They keep the tenth position with six games lost. They share it with Cibona. SC Derby will meet at home Mega BG (#6) in the next round. FMP BG’s supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beograd Partizan.
Top scorers:
SC Derby: K.Kamenjas 22+12reb+1ast, N.Pavlicevic 18+1ast, A.Dawkins 16+2reb, E.Hadzibegovic 12+3reb+1ast, B.Kapusta 10+1reb+9ast, B.Luka 9+1reb+1ast
FMP BG: H.Besson 24+2reb+2ast, B.Subotic 17+2reb+3ast, A.Luke 12+3reb+6ast, S.Nikola 10+2ast, A.Stepanovic 10+1reb+1ast, L.Asceric 3+4reb
gschID: 1132653
Krka – Crvena Zvezda 67-90
ABA League top team – Serbian Crvena Zvezda (8-1) had no problems winning another game on Monday. This time they crushed twelfth ranked Slovenian Krka (2-7) in Novo Mesto 90-67. Crvena Zvezda looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. American-Slovenian power forward Mike Tobey (213-1994, college: Virginia) nailed 16 points for the winning side and Montenegrin power forward Marko Simonovic (210-1999) accounted for 12 points and 6 rebounds. Four Crvena Zvezda players scored in double figures. American guard Isaiah Cousins (193-1994, college: Oklahoma) came up with 11 points and Leon Stergar (193-2000) added 15 points respectively for Krka in the defeat. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Crvena Zvezda. Defending Serbian champion maintains first place with 8-1 record. Loser Krka dropped to the thirteenth position with seven games lost. Crvena Zvezda will meet at home Cibona (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Krka will play against Split and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Crvena Zvezda: M.Tobey 16+3reb+1ast, J.Bolomboy 13+6reb, M.Simonovic 12+6reb+2ast, S.Lazarevic 12+3reb, N.Nedovic 11+4reb+3ast, Y.Matheus 9+5ast
Krka: L.Stergar 15+2ast, I.Cousins 11+4reb+2ast, M.Skedelj 10+5reb+1ast, C.Miha 9+2reb+2ast, J.Robert 8+3reb+3ast, M.Radovanovic 5+8reb
gschID: 1132654
Mornar – Split 76-93
The game between closely ranked teams ended with thirteenth ranked Croatian Split‘s (2-6) road victory over bottom-ranked Montenegrin Mornar (1-8) in Bar 93-76 on Sunday. Split dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Mornar‘s 42. They outrebounded Mornar 40-20 including a 24-12 advantage in defensive rebounds. Swingman Lovre Runjic (197-2000, agency: AltusBasket) nailed a double-double by scoring 20 points and 16 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) for the winning side and American forward Lewis Sullivan (201-1995, college: UAB, agency: BIG) accounted for 22 points and 7 rebounds. American point guard Dwight Murray Jr (183-2000, college: Rider) came up with 21 points and 6 assists and the other American import guard Marcus Lewis (196-1992, college: EKU) added 17 points respectively for Mornar in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Split moved-up to twelfth place. Mornar lost their fourth game in a row. They stay at the bottom position with eight games lost. Split will meet at home Krka (#13) in the next round. Mornar will play against the league’s second-placed Igokea where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Split: L.Sullivan 22+7reb+1ast, S.Shorter 21+2reb+4ast, L.Runjic 20+16reb+2ast, M.Kalajzic 13+5reb+2ast, K.Ljubicic 8+5reb+3ast, D.Funderburk 7+1reb
Mornar: D.Murray Jr. 21+1reb+6ast, M.Lewis 17+3reb+1ast, A.Gavrilovic 13+7reb+1ast, A.Waller 13+4reb+3ast, T.Dunn-Martin 8+2ast, S.Jovanovic 2+2reb
gschID: 1132655
Partizan – Borac CA 101-56
One of the most interesting games of round 9 was a derby match between two teams from Serbia. The game took place in Beograd where fifth ranked Partizan outleveled visiting Borac CA (4-5) 101-56. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Borac CA. They outrebounded Borac 42-30 including a 34-15 advantage in defensive rebounds. Partizan shot the lights out from three nailing 14 long-distance shots on high 51.9 percentage. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 27 assists comparing to just 10 passes made by Borac‘s players. Power forward Tristan Vukcevic (209-2003) stepped up and scored 24 points and 6 rebounds for the winners and Polish Mateusz Ponitka (198-1993) chipped in 13 points and 7 assists. Four Partizan players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American point guard Ronaldo Segu (183-1999, college: Buffalo) with 16 points and forward Filip Rebraca (206-1997, college: Iowa) scored 9 points and 7 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Partizan (6-3) moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Buducnost. Borac at the other side keeps the eighth position with five games lost. They share it with Zadar. Partizan’s supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beograd to the arena FMP BG.
Top scorers:
Partizan: V.Tristan 24+6reb+2ast, M.Ponitka 13+3reb+7ast, A.Smailagic 13+3reb+5ast, P.Dozier 12+3reb+4ast, F.Kaminsky 10+4reb, B.Caboclo 8+11reb
Borac CA: R.Segu 16+2reb+3ast, T.Birts 11+4reb, F.Rebraca 9+7reb+1ast, J.Franklin 7+4reb, B.Tomasevic 5+6reb, D.Talic 4+1reb+4ast
gschID: 1132656
Igokea – Zadar 100-94
Not a big story in a game when 9th ranked Croatian Zadar (4-5) lost to second ranked Bosnian Igokea (7-2) in Aleksandrovac 94-100 on Friday. However just six-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. American point guard Stefan Moody (179-1993, college: Ole Miss) nailed 24 points and 4 steals for the winning side and swingman Edin Atic (201-1997) accounted for 10 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Igokea’s coach used an eleven-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Luka Bozic (200-1996) came up with a double-double by scoring 28 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists and swingman Marko Ramljak (201-1993) added 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for Zadar in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Defending Bosnian champion maintains second place with 7-2 record behind leader Crvena Zvezda, which they share with Cedevita Ol. Defending Croatian champion Zadar dropped to the eighth position with five games lost. They share it with Borac. Igokea will meet at home bottom-ranked Mornar (#14) in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Zadar will play against Cedevita Ol. (#3) in Ljubljana and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Igokea: S.Moody 24+3reb+3ast, M.Jeremic 19+2reb+2ast, M.Nakic 16+6reb+3ast, N.Tanaskovic 10+1reb, E.Atic 10+9reb+8ast, Z.Nikolic 9+4reb+2ast
Zadar: L.Bozic 28+12reb+6ast, D.Dreznjak 14+4reb+4ast, M.Ramljak 14+8reb+4ast, L.Mazalin 11+5reb, A.Lakic 10+3reb+1ast, K.Zganec 9+3reb+2ast
gschID: 1132657
