The basketball players of FMP Belgrade were defeated by the Krka team in the first round of the ABA League, with a score of 97-99.
The guests from Novo Mesto had a much better start to the game and managed to build an 11-point lead within the first seven minutes. The home team managed to avoid a disaster at the very beginning and entered the second period with a single-digit deficit.
The second quarter was also the highest-scoring on this match, ending 26-26. Krka managed to go up by +3 during this period, and the halftime score was 44-53.
Jurij Macura was the top scorer for the Novo Mesto team with 23 points, while Jan Span recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. On the other hand, in the FMP team, Hugo Besson scored 23 points, and Nate Watson added 19.
In the next 10 minutes, the players coached by Nebojsa Stefanovic managed to win 24-21, hinting at an uncertain fourth quarter. Jordan Walker was the main contributor to the home team’s comeback during this period, as he scored all of his 10 points in the third quarter.
FMP took their first lead after Bojan Subotic’s three-pointer with a little over five minutes left. In the last three minutes, the “Panthers” entered with a lead of 80-79. The game remained neck and neck until the very end, with Jurij Macura hitting a shot to tie the game at 83-83 at the end of the fourth quarter. Neither team managed to score a basket until the end, and overtime was inevitable in Zeleznik.
It seemed like FMP’s players entered the extra 5 minutes more motivated, especially after Miha Skedelj’s three-pointer with 1:45 left to give them a +1 lead. Then, the other Miha, Cerkvenik from the Krka team, managed to extend their lead to 96-92 with another three-pointer. However, Hugo Besson provided a lifeline for his team, and FMP had a chance to tie the game in the last 10 seconds. Nevertheless, Walker was blocked in the final attempt, and Krka secured the victory in their first ABA League game back.
FMP – KRKA 97:99 (18:27, 26:26, 24:21, 15:9, OT 14:16)
Venue: Arena KK FMP; Referees: Radojkovic, Porobic, Niksic
FMP: Watson 19, Zivanovic 2, Turner 9, Subotic 14, Stepanovic 9, Walker 10, Saranovic 9, Simovic, Matovic, Vukovic, Asceric 2, Besson 23.
KRKA: Hamilton 9, Edosomwan 5, Bacvic 3, Cerkvenik 13, Cousins 12, Jurkovic 3, Span 18, Skedelj 7, Radovanovic 6, Macura 23.