Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.
The most interesting game of round 24 was a derby match between two teams from Serbia. The game took place in Cacak where fourth ranked Crvena zvezda outleveled host Borac CA (8-16) 98-72. Crvena zvezda made 18-of-21 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 17 passes made by Borac‘s players. 24 personal fouls committed by Borac helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was center Filip Petrusev (211-2000, college: Gonzaga) who scored 20 points and 7 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). Ognjen Dobric (200-1994) chipped in 16 points. At the other side the best for losing team was forward Stefan Fundic (200-1994) who recorded 13 points and 9 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. Defending Serbian champion (19-5) moved-up to third place, which they share with Dubai. Borac lost fourth consecutive game. They dropped to the twelfth position with 16 games lost. They share it with Split. Crvena zvezda is looking forward to face Spartak (#8) in Subotica in the next round where they are favorite. Borac will play on the road against Cedevita Ol. (#6) in Ljubljana and is hoping to prove to their fans that they can break losing series.
Montenegrin leader Buducnost delivered the twenty first victory. This time they beat 7th ranked Serbian Spartak (12-12) 86-82 in Subotica. It was a good game for Bosnian center Kenan Kamenjas (207-2000) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). McKinley Wright IV contributed with 21 points and 7 rebounds (went 9 for 9 at the free throw line !!!) for the winners. Center Dusan Miletic (213-1998) replied with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 11 rebounds for Spartak. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Defending Montenegrin champion maintains first position with 21-3 record, which they share with Partizan. Spartak at the other side keeps the seventh place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Zadar and FMP BG. Buducnost will play against Cibona (#15) in Zagreb in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Spartak will play on the road against Crvena zvezda (#4) in Beograd and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Fifteenth-ranked Croatian Cibona (4-20) made lots of trouble for fifth ranked Bosnian Igokea (17-8) in Zagreb on Friday. The visitors from Aleksandrovac managed to secure only three-point victory 88-85. However their fans expected much easier game. Worth to mention a great performance of Bryce Jones who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 21 points and 10 assists. The best for the losing side was Toni Rocak with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Cibona’s coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn’t help. Igokea have an impressive five-game winning streak. Defending Bosnian champion maintains fifth position with 17-8 record. Loser Cibona dropped to the fourteenth place with 20 games lost. They share the position with Krka. Igokea will meet at home Derby (#11) in the next round where they are favorite. Cibona will play against the league’s leader Buducnost in Podgorica and hope to secure a win.
Rest of the games of round 24 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
FMP BG was crushed by Zadar in a road game 99-71. Krka was beaten by Dubai at home 78-93. Bottom-ranked Mornar lost to Partizan on the opponent’s court 84-89. Derby managed to outperform Split in a home game 102-89. Cedevita Ol. managed to beat Mega BG on the road 81-72.
The best stats of 24th round was 29 points by Brynton Lemar of Cedevita Ol..
Zadar – FMP BG 99-71
There was a minor upset when 8th ranked Serbian FMP BG (12-12) was crushed on the road by tenth ranked Croatian Zadar (12-12) 99-71 on Friday. Zadar made 24-of-30 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. Worth to mention a great performance of Montenegrin point guard Vladimir Mihailovic (193-1990) who helped to win the game recording 28 points (went 9 for 9 at the free throw line !!!) and power forward Karlo Zganec (206-1995, agency: PEPI SPORT) who added 15 points and 5 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was swingman Filip Barna (201-1999) with 19 points and American center Jake Stephens (213-1999, college: Chattanooga) scored 12 points and 8 rebounds. Four FMP BG players scored in double figures. 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. Defending Croatian champion moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Spartak and FMP BG. Zadar will meet Mega BG (#10) in the next round. FMP BG will play against Dubai and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
FMP BG: F.Barna 19+2reb, J.Stephens 12+8reb+1ast, P.Popovic 11+5reb+3ast, J.Scott 10+2reb+2ast, V.Stojanovic 9+4reb+1ast, P.Grojic 6+1reb
Zadar: V.Mihailovic 28+1reb+3ast, K.Zganec 15+5reb+3ast, M.Ramljak 14+4reb+2ast, D.Gilbert 9+6reb+2ast, K.Klarica 7+3reb+1ast, M.Bakovic 6+3reb+1ast
gschID: 1180023
Krka – Dubai 78-93
No shocking result in a game in Novo Mesto where third ranked UAE Dubai (19-5) defeated 14th ranked Slovenian Krka (4-20) 93-78 on Saturday. Dubai made 17-of-21 free shots (81.0 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of Serbian guard Danilo Andjusic (195-1991) who helped to win the game recording 15 points (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line) and French center Jerry Boutsiele (207-1992) who added 9 points and 11 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was American guard Tayler Persons (191-1995, college: Ball St., agency: Players Group) with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 12 assists (went 9 for 9 at the free throw line !!!) and swingman Jakob Cebasek (200-1991) scored 21 points. Four Krka players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Dubai have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 19-5 record having just two points less than leader Buducnost, which they share with Crvena zvezda. Krka lost eighth consecutive game. They keep the fourteenth place with 20 games lost. They share the position with Cibona. Dubai will meet at home FMP BG (#9) in the next round where they are favorite. Krka will play against Mornar (#16) in Bar and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Krka: J.Cebasek 21+3reb+1ast, T.Persons 20+4reb+12ast, M.Cerkvenik 12+2reb+2ast, B.Skeens 11+7reb+1ast, R.Jurkovic 9+4reb, A.Bursac 3+2reb+1ast
Dubai: A.Abass 16+2reb+1ast, D.Andjusic 15+2reb+3ast, J.Williams 12+2reb, N.Mason 10+3reb+6ast, J.Boutsiele 9+11reb, I.Taylor 9+1reb+5ast
gschID: 1180024
Partizan – Mornar 89-84
Very expected game in Beograd where 16th ranked Montenegrin Mornar (1-24) was defeated by second ranked Serbian Partizan (21-3) 89-84 on Sunday. However just five-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. Partizan dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Mornar‘s 28 and made 22-of-26 free shots (84.6 percent) during the game. Worth to mention a great performance of center Balsa Koprivica (216-2000, college: FSU) who helped to win the game recording 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) and French point guard Frank Ntilikina (195-1998) who added 14 points and 7 assists during the contest. Partizan’s coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. The best for the losing side was Croatian point guard Roko Rogic (187-1992) with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists and American guard Noah Thomasson (190-2001, college: Georgia) scored 13 points and 4 assists. Five Partizan and four Mornar players scored in double figures. Partizan keeps a position of league leader, which they share with Buducnost. Mornar lost eighteenth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 24 lost games. Partizan will meet Split (#12) on the road in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Mornar will play against Krka (#14) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Mornar: S.Bulatovic 17+1reb, J.Smith 14+4reb, D.Pember 13+3reb, N.Thomasson 13+3reb+4ast, R.Rogic 9+5reb+12ast, L.Buljevic 9+4reb+1ast
Partizan: B.Koprivica 22+8reb, F.Ntilikina 14+1reb+7ast, G.Lundberg 13+3reb+1ast, I.Mike 11+8reb+2ast, V.Marinkovic 10+1reb+2ast, A.Pokusevski 9+1reb+2ast
gschID: 1180025
Derby – Split 102-89
Everything could happen in Podgorica at the game between two tied teams. Both twelfth ranked Montenegrin Derby and 11th ranked Croatian Split had identical 8-15 record. This time Derby used a home court advantage and beat the opponent from Split 102-89 on Monday night. Derby shot the lights out from three sinking 20 long-distance shots on high 66.7 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of American point guard Erick Neal (178-1995, college: UT Arlington) who helped to win the game recording 20 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and guard Luka Bogavac (195-2003) who added 20 points during the contest. Neal is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. The best for the losing side was forward David Skara (203-1995, college: Clemson) with 13 points and 7 rebounds and American Shannon Shorter (193-1989, college: N.Texas) scored 13 points and 5 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Derby (9-15) moved-up to eleventh place. Loser Split dropped to the twelfth position with 16 games lost. They share it with Borac. Derby will meet higher ranked Igokea (#5) in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Split will play against the league’s second-placed Partizan (#2) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Split: A.Smith 16+2ast, D.Skara 13+7reb+1ast, S.Shorter 13+5reb+1ast, A.Sikiric 11+2reb, V.Kucic 8, K.Ljubicic 8+4reb+3ast
Derby: E.Neal 20+6reb+7ast, L.Bogavac 20+4reb+3ast, I.Drobnjak 18+3reb+5ast, Z.Vuceljic 14+1reb+1ast, D.Mirkovic 9+5reb+1ast, E.Hadzibegovic 9+5reb+1ast
gschID: 1180026
Cibona – Igokea 85-88
Fifteenth-ranked Croatian Cibona (4-20) made lots of trouble for fifth ranked Bosnian Igokea (17-8) in Zagreb on Friday. The visitors from Aleksandrovac managed to secure only three-point victory 88-85. However their fans expected much easier game. Igokea made 30-of-36 free shots (83.3 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of American point guard Bryce Jones (183-1994, college: Murray St.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 21 points and 10 assists and Serbian Borisa Simanic (210-1998) who added 19 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Jones is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. The best for the losing side was Swiss-Croatian forward Toni Rocak (206-1999, college: USF) with 13 points and 8 rebounds and Ivan Majcunic (193-1996) scored 14 points and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Cibona’s coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn’t help. Igokea have an impressive five-game winning streak. Defending Bosnian champion maintains fifth position with 17-8 record. Loser Cibona dropped to the fourteenth place with 20 games lost. They share the position with Krka. Igokea will meet at home Derby (#11) in the next round where they are favorite. Cibona will play against the league’s leader Buducnost in Podgorica and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Cibona: K.Radovcic 16+1reb+1ast, I.Majcunic 14+1reb+4ast, T.Rocak 13+8reb, P.Jok 13+1reb+1ast, V.Bart 9, P.Aranitovic 8+1reb+2ast
Igokea: B.Jones 21+4reb+10ast, B.Simanic 19+6reb+2ast, N.Maric 15+5reb, V.Ilic 11+1reb+1ast, D.Milosavljevic 10+1reb+3ast, T.Carter II 6+2reb+1ast
gschID: 1180027
Spartak – Buducnost 82-86
Montenegrin leader Buducnost delivered the twenty first victory. This time they beat 7th ranked Serbian Spartak (12-12) 86-82 in Subotica. Buducnost dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Spartak‘s 34. It was a good game for Bosnian center Kenan Kamenjas (207-2000) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). American point guard McKinley Wright IV (182-1998, college: Colorado) contributed with 21 points and 7 rebounds (went 9 for 9 at the free throw line !!!) for the winners. Center Dusan Miletic (213-1998) replied with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 11 rebounds and American guard Rasir Bolton (190-1999, college: Gonzaga, agency: Octagon Europe) added 15 points and 5 assists in the effort for Spartak. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Defending Montenegrin champion maintains first position with 21-3 record, which they share with Partizan. Spartak at the other side keeps the seventh place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Zadar and FMP BG. Buducnost will play against Cibona (#15) in Zagreb in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Spartak will play on the road against Crvena zvezda (#4) in Beograd and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Spartak: R.Bolton 15+4reb+5ast, S.Momirov 15+2reb+1ast, D.Miletic 12+11reb+1ast, K.Kajami-Keane 8+4ast, L.Cerovina 7+2reb+1ast, V.Medarevic 6+3reb
Buducnost: R.Sulaimon 22+3ast, K.Kamenjas 22+10reb+3ast, M.Wright IV 21+7reb+3ast, D.Jovanovic 6+3reb+1ast, N.Tanaskovic 5+5reb+1ast, Y.Ferrell 4+4reb+4ast
gschID: 1180028
Borac CA – Crvena zvezda 72-98
The most interesting game of round 24 was a derby match between two teams from Serbia. The game took place in Cacak where fourth ranked Crvena zvezda outleveled host Borac CA (8-16) 98-72. Crvena zvezda made 18-of-21 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 17 passes made by Borac‘s players. 24 personal fouls committed by Borac helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was center Filip Petrusev (211-2000, college: Gonzaga) who scored 20 points and 7 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). Ognjen Dobric (200-1994) chipped in 16 points. At the other side the best for losing team was forward Stefan Fundic (200-1994) who recorded 13 points and 9 rebounds and American point guard Diante Baldwin (182-1994, college: UNCG) added 4 points and 11 assists respectively. 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 (19-5) moved-up to third place, which they share with Dubai. Borac lost fourth consecutive game. They dropped to the twelfth position with 16 games lost. They share it with Split. Crvena zvezda is looking forward to face Spartak (#8) in Subotica in the next round where they are favorite. Borac will play on the road against Cedevita Ol. (#6) in Ljubljana and is hoping to prove to their fans that they can break losing series.
Top scorers:
Borac CA: M.Josilo 14+2reb, S.Fundic 13+9reb+1ast, J.Furmanavicius 11+4reb+1ast, P.Valinskas 6+3reb+2ast, N.Manojlovic 6+4reb, P.Nikolic 6+3reb+1ast
Crvena zvezda: F.Petrusev 20+7reb+1ast, O.Dobric 16+3ast, N.Kalinic 11+3reb+3ast, B.Lazic 10+2reb, R.Giedraitis 9+8reb, I.Canaan 9+1reb+2ast
gschID: 1180029
Mega BG – Cedevita Ol. 72-81
Not a big story in a game in Beograd where 10th ranked Serbian Mega BG (11-13) was defeated by sixth ranked Slovenian Cedevita Ol. (15-9) 81-72 on Sunday. Cedevita Ol. made 26-of-28 free shots (92.9 percent) during the game. Cedevita Ol. outrebounded Mega BG 44-30 including 32 on the defensive glass. Worth to mention a great performance of American-Jamaican Brynton Lemar (193-1995, college: UC Davis) who helped to win the game recording 29 points and American forward Devin Robinson (203-1995, college: Florida) who added 10 points and 8 rebounds during the contest. Four Cedevita Ol. players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was Croatian forward Andrija Jelavic (207-2004) with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 14 rebounds and Bosnian forward Filip Jovic (204-2005) scored 14 points and 5 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Cedevita Ol. have a solid three-game winning streak. Defending Slovenian champion maintains sixth position with 15-9 record. Loser Mega BG keeps the tenth place with 13 games lost. Cedevita Ol. will meet at home Borac (#13) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Mega BG will play against Zadar and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Mega BG: F.Jovic 14+5reb+1ast, A.Jelavic 14+14reb+1ast, B.Markovic 12+1reb, K.Kondic 9+2reb+1ast, T.Malovec 8+3reb, M.Petrovic 8+10ast
Cedevita Ol.: B.Lemar 29+3reb+1ast, A.Nikolic 11+4reb+5ast, D.Robinson 10+8reb+3ast, A.Stipanovic 10+3reb, J.Beringer 6+9reb, D.Jones 5+4ast
gschID: 1180030
