Mega defeated Cedevita Olimpija with a score of 88:75 in the placement match for fifth to eighth place in the ABA Super Cup.
Mega had a better start to the game. In the first quarter, they were the superior team, led by the young Nikola Topic. He did everything on the court during those moments, and center Uros Plavsic also played very well. Cedevita improved as the game went on. Gregor Glas hit several three-pointers, but Mega closed the first half with a series and went into halftime with a double-digit lead.
The team from Belgrade continued in the same rhythm, dominating the second half. Stefan Miljenovic and Topic orchestrated Mega’s offense. Cedevita tried to make the game interesting but fell short. Mega wanted the victory more and ultimately triumphed convincingly with a score of 88:75.
The standout players for Mega were Nikola Topic with 21 points, followed by Andrija Jelavic with 14 and Uros Plavsic with the same number of points. On the other hand, Gregor Glas stood out for Ljubljana’s team, scoring 14 points.
First half
The game started quite unusually. The first possession of the match belonged to Mega’s team and lasted almost a full minute. They grabbed several offensive rebounds but couldn’t score. Then, Jaka Blazic hit a three-pointer for the first points of the game. Mega went on a 5-0 run through Uros Plavsic and Timotej Malovec. Then, Nikola Topic stepped onto the scene and, with several brilliant moves, gave Mega its largest lead. Sean Jones scored with a volleyball-style shot as the buzzer sounded, making the score 31-19 in favor of the Belgrade team after the first ten minutes.
Cedevita’s team had a better start to the second quarter. Sean Armand hit a three-pointer, and Gregor Glas did the same. Cedevita closed the gap to six points and continued in the same rhythm. In this period, they made a 13-4 run, bringing them back into the game in terms of score. However, Mega managed to make a run towards the end of the half, and they went into the break with a ten-point lead. The score was 47-37.
Second half
Mega continued to play in the same rhythm in the third quarter. Marko Barac’s squad found their groove completely, scoring 23 points in this quarter, led by the outstanding Nikola Topic, who extended their lead to 18 points. It’s also worth highlighting the contribution of Stefan Miljenovic, who orchestrated his teammates throughout the game.
At the beginning of the final quarter, there was a fantastic alley-oop combination between Nikola Topic and Uros Plavsic, prompting Simone Piangiani to call a timeout after just 26 seconds of play in the last quarter. Cedevita attempted to make the game interesting, but they couldn’t succeed. They had a poor performance with many turnovers, and Mega deservedly emerged victorious.
MEGA-CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (31:19, 16:18, 23:17, 18:21)
Arena: “Moraca”, Podgorica
Referees: Radojković, Kardum, Savović.
Mega:Ilyasoglu, Jelavic 14p 9s, Malovec 3, Plavsic 14, Topic 21, Djurisic, Jovic 8, Kobzystyi, Kovacevic 8, Miljenovic 2, Milutinovic, Paunovic.
Cedevita Olimpija: Blazic11, Cobbs 8, Glas 14, Jones 8, Sow 5, Armand 10, Klobucar, Radicevic, Radovic, Scuka, Shaskov