In the tenth round of the regional competition – the ABA League, Split hosted the representative from Slovenia, Krka, on their home court at the ‘Gripe’ arena. The Croatian team secured win with a score of 78:74 after a dramatic finish, despite having a double-digit lead for most of the game.
The home team opened the game furiously, evident in the initial 14:0 lead. Derek Funderburk stood out the most, contributing 12 of Split’s first 20 points. Krka woke up after six minutes, led by Robert Jurkovic. Split managed to maintain a significant lead, finishing the first quarter with a score of 29:19.
At the start of the second period, we witnessed a replay of the first quarter as Split created a 7:0 run, reaching their largest lead of plus 17 (36:19). The guests had to wait three minutes for their first points. Although Krka managed to reduce the deficit to single digits at one point, Split pulled away again with a new mini-run of 5:0. At halftime, the scoreboard at the ‘Gripe’ showed 48:36 in favor of Split.
In the third period, Marko Radovanovic tried in every possible way to bring his team back into the game, but as the only player in Krka’s lineup in good form, he couldn’t succeed in his attempt. Split maintained their lead throughout the period. Krka, through Leon Stergar, missed the opportunity to narrow the deficit, and Shannon Shorter quickly extended Split’s lead to plus 13. Jairus Hamilton managed to reduce the gap to 68:59 with a three-pointer at the buzzer, setting the stage for the decisive final ten minutes.
Jurij Macura stepped up, bringing the deficit down to minus seven, but Boris Tisma’s three-pointer halted the opponents’ momentum, and Split continued to lead 71:63. After a few possessions, Krka, led by Macura, closed in at 73:70 for a suspenseful ending. The Slovenian representative, through Span, completely came back to life. Despite having two possessions for a potential lead or tie, after missing those opportunities, Lewis Sullivan made a crucial basket for 77:73. In the end, it proved to be enough for Split to secure their third win of the season.
The standout performer for the winning team was Derek Funderburk, scoring 16 points, while Kresimir Ljubicic stopped at 14. On the other side, Jan Span contributed 15 points, and Marko Radovanović scored 13.
In the next round of the Adriatic caravan, Split will visit Cibona, while Krka will host Igokea in Novo Mesto.
SPLIT – KRKA 78:74 (29:19, 19:17, 20:23, 10:15)
Venue: “Gripe”, Split
Sudije: Nikolic, Calic, Veskovic
Split: Funderburk 16, Perkovic, Shorter 5, Sullivan 12, Kalajzic 7, Tisma 7, Runjic 6, Vuko 5, Perkusic, Gnjidić 6, Dubravcic, Ljubicic 14
Krka: Hamilton 4, Stergar 2, Bobnar, Bacvic 3, Cerkvenik 6, Cousins 11, Jurkovic 5, Span 15, Skedelj 5, Radovanovic 13, Macura 10