Zadar has opened the 22nd round of the ABA League with a win over Igokea by 74:59, marking the team’s 13th win in the regional league.
Zoran Filipovic scored the first points of the game with a three-pointer off the backboard. It took nearly 4 minutes for the hosts’ Luka Bozic to score their first points. The pace picked up slightly in the second half of the first quarter. The current ABA League MVP found his rhythm, while Nikola Maric had some standout moments for the opposing team. However, Zadar managed to string together two three-pointers, resulting in a 17:10 lead after ten minutes of play.
Karlo Zganec opened the second quarter with another three-pointer for the home team. Then, he found Arijan Lakic well in the attack for a 12-point lead. Igokea struggled significantly, and it took Kosta Kondic four minutes to score the first points for the team in this period. The team from Aleksandrovac stabilized, stringing together several good attacks, with Marko Josilo hitting a three-pointer to reduce the deficit to eight points. The Dalmatian team then created a good play for Petar Vujacic, who scored a three-pointer, extending their lead to 33:23.
The game started with a good run from Igokea, reducing the deficit to six points. Then, they came within one possession of tying the game. Finally, Zganec hit a three-pointer that halted the visitors’ momentum. Danijel Jusup’s team stabilized and pulled ahead by eight points. They once again extended their lead to double digits, seemingly controlling the game well. Filipovic scored to make it 47:39, the score after 30 minutes of play.
Arijan Lakic committed his fourth foul early in the final quarter, and Lovro Mazalin scored from the free-throw line. Then, Bozic added more points with a foul and hit another three-pointer. The game settled into the rhythm of the hosts, who maintained a lead of around ten points.
The most effective and certainly the player of the game was Karlo Zganec, who scored 21 points. Luka Bozic contributed 17 points, while Nikola Maric scored 15 points, and Goran Filipovic added 13. Zadar will host Cedevita Olimpija in the next round, while Igokea will travel to Bar to face Mornar.