Crvena Zvezda remained undefeated in the third round of the ABA League by defeating Borac in Cacak with a score of 93-87.
Crvena Zvezda was without Branko Lazic, Stefan Lazarevic, and Ognjen Kuzmic for the game in Cacak.
Borac had a shaky start to the game, evident from turnovers and an early 7-0 lead in favor of the Belgrade-based Red and Whites. Uros Carapic and Javon Franklin orchestrated a 6-0 run for the home team, closing the gap to just one point. The main contributors to Crvena Zvezda’s lead after the first 10 minutes were Milos Teodosic, Rokas Giedraitis, and Marko Simonovic (24-20).
The second quarter began similarly to the first, with Crvena Zvezda quickly extending their lead to eight points (28-20). Shabazz Napier added to their advantage, giving them a 12-point lead. However, the team from Cacak imposed their familiar rhythm in the final moments of the half, reducing the deficit to single digits (43-35). Tylan Birts was the key player for Borac during this period, scoring 11 points in 14 minutes on the court.
Borac put up a respectable fight in the opening minutes of the second half, but then came a 5-0 run from the Red and Whites from Belgrade, forcing Dejan Mijatovic to call a timeout (53-40). With good sequences from Aleksa Uskokovic, the team from Cacak managed to “control” the deficit towards the end, entering the fourth quarter with only a 10-point gap (65-55).
Crvena Zvezda relied heavily on Nemanja Nedovic’s shooting, while Borac made a 9-3 run, narrowing the deficit to just five points. Bojan Tomasevic’s good moves on the other side were countered by Napier, who reestablished a double-digit lead for his team (83-73). Cacak ran out of “ammunition” in the final moments of the game, which allowed Milos Teodosic to seal the victory for his team.
Ronaldo Segu was the top scorer for Borac with 23 points, while Shabazz Napier stood out for Crvena Zvezda with 18 points.
Borac Cacak will face Split in the next round, while Crvena Zvezda will take on FMP after their double-header in the EuroLeague.