Igokea and Crvena Zvezda played one of the most interesting matches in the first round of the ABA League. In the end, the Red and Whites emerged victorious with a score of 81-63.
Crvena Zvezda was weakened in this game as they played without Dejan Davidovac, Adam Hanga, Nemanja Bjelica and Shabazz Napier.
The guests took an early lead at 9-4, but the home team responded with a 4-0 run. They had several opportunities to complete a comeback but couldn’t capitalize on them. Towards the end of the first quarter, both teams found a good offensive rhythm. Crvena Zvezda held a six-point advantage, and after ten minutes of play, it was 20-17 in favor of the Red and Whites.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the pace slowed down on both sides. At one point, Crvena Zvezda built an eight-point lead, but Igokea’s players responded with a series of good plays, narrowing the deficit to three points. The end of the first half belonged to the ABA League runners-up. With a three-pointer from Rokas Giedraitis, the guests went into halftime with an eight-point lead.
Mike Tobey had an excellent start to the second half. Thanks to his strong defense and the Slovenian national team representative, Crvena Zvezda built a 16-point lead. Igokea’s players struggled to find a suitable response. By the end of the third quarter, the visitors’ lead continued to grow, and they entered the final period with a 21-point advantage.
In the last ten minutes, there was no doubt about the outcome. Igokea attempted to improve their performance, but the guests comfortably controlled the game and efficiently finished the job.
Mike Tobey led Crvena Zvezda to victory with 19 points, while Rokas Giedraitis added 12. Nikola Tanaskovic was the top scorer for the home team with 16 points.
Crvena Zvezda’s next opponent will be Cedevita Olimpija, while Igokea will be on the road to face Split in the second round.
Igokea – Crvena Zvezda 63:81 (17:20, 15:20, 13:26, 18:15)
Venue: Sportska dvorana Laktasi
Referees: Javor, Koljensic, Majkic
Igokea: Boškovic 0, Atic 4, Delalic 0, Tanaskovic 16, Nakic 2, Josilo 0, Nikolic 5, Gordic 9, Milosavljevic 9, Carmichael 0, Jeremic 15, Moody 3.
Crvena Zvezda: Lazarevic 3, Teodosic 4, Mitrovic 10, Lazic 7, Simonovic 2, Tobey 19, Bolomboy 1, Ilic 11, Nedovic 7, Kuzmic 0, Giedraitis 12, dos Santos 5.