Zadar ended Cedevita Olimpija’s five-game winning streak in the ABA League, securing a 79-73 win in Ljubljana.
The game started at a slow pace with nerves and mistakes evident on both sides. Throughout much of the first quarter, the teams exchanged leads. Thanks to Arijan Lakic’s three-pointer, Zadar held a slim 18-17 lead after ten minutes of play.
Zadar maintained its lead throughout the entire second quarter. It seemed that the visitors could have pulled away more significantly, but they didn’t capitalize on the opportunities presented to them. At one point, they had a six-point advantage, heading into halftime with a 36-31 lead.
In the second half of the game, the pace improved significantly compared to the first half. The home team attempted a comeback, but the visitors resisted the opponent’s surges and maintained their lead. At times, Zadar had a seven-point advantage. By the end of the third quarter, the team from Ljubljana closed the gap to a two-point deficit.
At the beginning of the final quarter, the home team staged a comeback and took a three-point lead. With four consecutive points from Luka Bozic, the guests regained the lead at 65-62. Zadar managed to extend their lead to five points in the closing moments of the game. Despite the home team’s efforts to stage a comeback, they couldn’t avoid the defeat.
Bozic led his team to win with 32 points, while on the other side, Justin Cobbs and Rok Radovic each scored 15.
This marks the seventh win for Cedevita Olimpija with three losses. Their next opponent will be Mornar. Zadar secured their fifth win of the season and will host Borac Cacak in the next round.
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – ZADAR 73:79 (17:18, 14:18, 22:19, 20:24)
Venue: Stozice, Ljubljana
Referees: Boltauzer, Juras, Milojevic
Cedevita Olimpija: Stewart 8, Sow 8, Radovic 15, Cobbs 15, Glas 0, Blazic 8, Matkovic 9, Prepelic 10, Scuka 0, Klobucar 0, Shashkov 0, Mahalbasic 0
Zadar: Klarica 0, Vujacic 0, Zganec 11, Mazalin 13, NJegovan 0, Lakic 9, Jambrovic 0, Mekic 0, Dreznjak 12, Grbic 0, Bozic 32, Ramljak 2