Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 17 in the ABA League took place in Dubai. This derby game ended with only one-point home defeat of 4th placed UAE Dubai (12-5) to seventh ranked Slovenian Cedevita Ol. (10-7) 85-84 on Sunday evening. Cedevita Ol. made 16-of-21 free shots (76.2 percent) during the game. Strangely Dubai outrebounded Cedevita Ol. 39-22 including a 15-4 advantage in offensive rebounds. American-Jamaican Brynton Lemar (193-1995, college: UC Davis) stepped up and scored 23 points for the winners and American forward Devin Robinson (203-1995, college: Florida) chipped in 16 points and 4 assists. French center Jerry Boutsiele (207-1992) responded with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Cedevita Ol. have a solid series of three victories in a row. Defending Slovenian champion moved-up to sixth place. Dubai at the other side keeps the fourth position with five games lost. Cedevita Ol. are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Mornar (#16) in Bar in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Dubai will play on the road against Mega BG (#9) in Beograd and is hoping to win this game.
One of the most interesting games of round 17 was a derby match between two teams from Serbia. The game took place in Beograd where tenth ranked FMP BG edged visiting Mega BG (8-9) 89-87. Swingman Filip Barna (201-1999) nailed 20 points and 5 assists for the winning side and Stefan Lazarevic accounted for 14 points and 5 rebounds. Forward Bogoljub Markovic (210-2005) came up with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for Mega BG in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. FMP BG moved-up to ninth place, which they share with defeated Mega BG. Mega BG lost third consecutive game. FMP BG will play against Borac (#13) in Cacak in the next round. Mega BG will play at home against Dubai (#4) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
One of the most interesting games of round 17 was a derby match between two teams from Serbia. The game took place in Beograd where second ranked Partizan outleveled visiting Spartak (9-8) 103-80. The best player for the winners was Sterling Brown who scored 25 points and 5 rebounds. Rasir Bolton produced 20 points (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) for the guests. 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 have a solid series of four victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Buducnost. Loser Spartak dropped to the seventh place with eight games lost. They share the position with Zadar. Partizan will meet Cibona (#15) in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Spartak will play against Krka (#14) and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 17: Zadar lost to Igokea on the opponent’s court 89-94. Split lost to Montenegrin defending champion Buducnost in a home game 48-83. Crvena zvezda rolled over Mornar on the road 110-69. Krka was defeated by Borac on its own court 79-90. Cibona was beaten by Derby in Podgorica 101-86.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 18 points and 11 assists by Erick Neal of Derby.

Igokea – Zadar 94-89

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 6th ranked Croatian Zadar‘s (9-8) road loss to fifth ranked Bosnian Igokea (12-6) 89-94 on Sunday. Igokea made 20-of-21 free shots (95.2 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was American point guard Bryce Jones (183-1994, college: Murray St.) who scored 21 points and 6 assists (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line). Serbian power forward Strahinja Gavrilovic (204-1993, college: USC) chipped in 20 points and 7 rebounds. Jones is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Montenegrin point guard Vladimir Mihailovic (193-1990) produced 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and swingman Dominic Gilbert (198-1996, college: UBC, agency: BIG) added 13 points and 7 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) respectively for the guests. Four Igokea and five Zadar players scored in double figures. Igokea have a solid series of four victories in a row. Defending Bosnian champion maintains fifth place with 12-6 record. Defending Croatian champion Zadar dropped to the seventh position with eight games lost. They share it with Spartak. Igokea will meet league’s leader Buducnost in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Zadar will play against Derby (#12) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Igokea: B.Jones 21+6ast, S.Gavrilovic 20+7reb, D.Milosavljevic 14+1reb+4ast, T.Carter II 13+4reb+4ast, B.Simanic 9+4reb, O.Stankovic 7+1reb
Zadar: V.Mihailovic 15+7reb+6ast, T.Wahl 14+3reb+3ast, D.Gilbert 13+7reb+2ast, K.Klarica 13+2ast, L.Mazalin 12+2reb+4ast, M.Ramljak 10+5reb+3ast

gschID: 1179967

Split – Buducnost 48-83

Very predictable result when first ranked Montenegrin Buducnost (15-2) smashed on the road 11th ranked Croatian Split (6-11) 83-48 on Saturday. Buducnost outrebounded Split 41-22 including a 32-15 advantage in defensive rebounds. Buducnost looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. The best player for the winners was Djordjije Jovanovic (199-2003) who had a double-double by scoring 12 points and 12 rebounds. American guard Fletcher Magee (193-1996, college: Wofford) chipped in 14 points. Point guard Borna Kapusta (182-1996) produced 10 points and 8 assists and American Shannon Shorter (193-1989, college: N.Texas) added 8 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the hosts. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Buducnost have an impressive series of eight victories in a row. Defending Montenegrin champion maintains first place with 15-2 record, which they share with Partizan. Split lost third consecutive game. They keep the eleventh position with 11 games lost. They share it with Borac and Derby. Buducnost will meet at home Igokea (#5) in the next round. Split will play against Crvena zvezda (#3) in Beograd and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Buducnost: F.Magee 14+1reb+3ast, D.Jovanovic 12+12reb+1ast, M.Wright IV 10+1reb+2ast, J.Morgan 10+3reb+4ast, Y.Ferrell 8+2reb+7ast, A.Omic 6+5reb+2ast
Split: T.Vuko 13+1reb, B.Kapusta 10+4reb+8ast, D.Skara 9+5reb+1ast, S.Shorter 8+6reb+3ast, K.Ljubicic 4+2reb, A.Jordano 4+2reb

gschID: 1179968

Mornar – Crvena zvezda 69-110

Not a big story in a game in Bar where 16th ranked Montenegrin Mornar (1-17) was rolled over by third ranked Serbian Crvena zvezda (14-3) 110-69 on Monday. Crvena zvezda dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Mornar‘s 34. Crvena zvezda forced 19 Mornar turnovers. They shot the lights out from three sinking 16 long-distance shots on high 55.2 percentage. Crvena zvezda looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists. The best player for the winners was Brazilian point guard Yago Dos Santos (175-1999) who scored 11 points and 5 assists. American power forward John Brown III (203-1992, college: High Point) chipped in 14 points and 5 steals. Four Crvena zvezda players scored in double figures. Croatian power forward Lovro Buljevic (210-1998) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds and American guard Chico Carter Jr (190-2000, college: DePaul) added 17 points respectively for the hosts. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Defending Serbian champion maintains third place with 14-3 record behind leader Buducnost. Mornar lost eleventh consecutive game. They stay dead last with 17 lost games. Crvena zvezda will meet at home Split (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Mornar will play against Cedevita Ol. (#6) in Ljubljana and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Crvena zvezda: I.Canaan 17, J.Brown III 14+4reb+1ast, O.Dobric 11+1reb+3ast, Y.Dos Santos 11+4reb+5ast, F.Petrusev 10+4reb+1ast, C.Miller-McIntyre 9+2reb+3ast
Mornar: C.Carter Jr. 17+3reb+2ast, L.Buljevic 14+11reb+1ast, L.Runjic 9+1reb+3ast, B.Jenkins 7+1ast, L.Radetic 7+2ast, I.Djokovic 5+2ast

gschID: 1179969

Dubai – Cedevita Ol. 84-85

gschID: 1179970

FMP BG – Mega BG 89-87

One of the most interesting games of round 17 was a derby match between two teams from Serbia. The game took place in Beograd where tenth ranked FMP BG edged visiting Mega BG (8-9) 89-87. FMP BG dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Mega BG‘s 24. They outrebounded Mega BG 34-22 including a 14-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. Mega BG was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. Swingman Filip Barna (201-1999) nailed 20 points and 5 assists for the winning side and swingman Stefan Lazarevic (198-1996) accounted for 14 points and 5 rebounds. Forward Bogoljub Markovic (210-2005) came up with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists and Bosnian guard Kosta Kondic (193-2001) added 25 points respectively for Mega BG in the defeat. Four Mega BG players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. FMP BG moved-up to ninth place, which they share with defeated Mega BG. Mega BG lost third consecutive game. FMP BG will play against Borac (#13) in Cacak in the next round. Mega BG will play at home against Dubai (#4) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
FMP BG: F.Barna 20+2reb+5ast, R.Simovic 18+2reb+1ast, S.Lazarevic 14+5reb+3ast, O.Kuzmic 9+8reb+1ast, J.Scott 8+4reb, D.Radosavljevic 6+2reb+2ast
Mega BG: K.Kondic 25+1reb+3ast, B.Markovic 20+9reb+5ast, I.Milijasevic 11+2reb+2ast, F.Jovic 11+2reb+1ast, M.Petrovic 7+5ast, A.Radanov 5+3reb+4ast

gschID: 1179971

Krka – Borac CA 79-90

Everything went according to plan in Novo Mesto where twelfth ranked Serbian Borac (6-11) beat 14th ranked Slovenian Krka (4-13) 90-79 on Saturday. Borac dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Krka‘s 30. They outrebounded Krka 35-24 including 27 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was Lithuanian guard Paulius Valinskas (191-1995) who scored 19 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. American point guard Diante Baldwin (182-1994, college: UNCG) chipped in 21 points. American guard Tayler Persons (191-1995, college: Ball St., agency: Players Group) produced 13 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists and Miha Cerkvenik (201-2001) added 20 points and 5 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Borac moved-up to eleventh place, which they share with Split and Derby. Loser Krka keeps the fourteenth position with 13 games lost. Borac will meet at home higher ranked FMP BG (#10) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Krka will play against Spartak (#8) in Subotica and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Borac CA: D.Baldwin 21+2reb+3ast, S.Fundic 19+4reb+1ast, P.Valinskas 19+6reb+7ast, M.Josilo 17+5reb+2ast, J.Furmanavicius 5+4reb, P.Nikolic 5+5reb
Krka: M.Cerkvenik 20+5reb+1ast, T.Mirtic 15+4reb+4ast, T.Persons 13+5reb+9ast, J.Span 11+2reb+3ast, Z.Smrekar 9+1reb, B.Skeens 5+2reb+1ast

gschID: 1179972

Partizan – Spartak 103-80

One of the most interesting games of round 17 was a derby match between two teams from Serbia. The game took place in Beograd where second ranked Partizan outleveled visiting Spartak (9-8) 103-80. Partizan dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Spartak‘s 36 and made 17-of-21 free shots (81.0 percent) during the game. Partizan forced 20 Spartak turnovers. The best player for the winners was American guard Sterling Brown (197-1995, college: SMU) who scored 25 points and 5 rebounds. His fellow American import center Tyrique Jones (206-1997, college: Xavier, agency: Pensack Sports) chipped in 16 points. American guard Rasir Bolton (190-1999, college: Gonzaga, agency: Octagon Europe) produced 20 points (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) and Montenegrin power forward Danilo Nikolic (206-1993) added 13 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the guests. Five Partizan and four Spartak players scored in double figures. 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 have a solid series of four victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Buducnost. Loser Spartak dropped to the seventh place with eight games lost. They share the position with Zadar. Partizan will meet Cibona (#15) in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Spartak will play against Krka (#14) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Partizan: S.Brown 25+5reb, T.Jones 16+3reb+2ast, C.Jones 14+2reb+5ast, G.Lundberg 11+3reb+4ast, I.Bonga 10+5reb+2ast, M.Nakic 9
Spartak: R.Bolton 20+1reb+2ast, D.Nikolic 13+6reb+2ast, D.Miletic 12+6reb, K.Kajami-Keane 12+4ast, V.Medarevic 7+4reb, L.Cerovina 6+7reb+5ast

gschID: 1179973

Derby – Cibona 101-86

There was no surprise in Podgorica where 15th ranked Croatian Cibona (2-15) was defeated by thirteenth ranked Montenegrin Derby (6-11) 101-86 on Sunday. Derby looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. The best player for the winners was American point guard Erick Neal (178-1995, college: UT Arlington) who had a double-double by scoring 18 points and 11 assists (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field). Guard Luka Bogavac (195-2003) chipped in 22 points. Neal is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Derby’s coach used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Swiss-Croatian forward Toni Rocak (206-1999, college: USF) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists and Croatian Domagoj Vukovic (208-1993, agency: PEPI SPORT) added 17 points and 7 rebounds respectively for the guests. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Derby moved-up to eleventh place, which they share with Split and Borac. Cibona lost ninth consecutive game. They keep the fifteenth position with 15 games lost. Derby will meet higher ranked Zadar (#7) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Cibona will play against the league’s second-placed Partizan (#2) and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Top scorers:
Derby: L.Bogavac 22+4reb+2ast, E.Neal 18+1reb+11ast, N.Pavlicevic 14+3reb+2ast, A.Grbovic 13+8reb+1ast, F.Andjusic 10+4reb, E.Hadzibegovic 6+3reb+3ast
Cibona: D.Vukovic 17+7reb+3ast, S.Smajlagic 17+3reb, K.Radovcic 12+4reb+8ast, T.Rocak 12+11reb+8ast, I.Majcunic 10+2reb+1ast, V.Bart 9+1reb