Cibona Beaten by Borac in a Dramatic Finish at Dražen’s Hall

Zagreb, 16 October 2026 – Cibona were beaten by Borac Mozzart of Čačak, 94:95, in front of around 400 spectators at Dražen’s Hall on Friday, 16 October, in Round 4 of Group A of the AdmiralBet ABA League. The Wolves are still without their first win in the competition, while Borac picked up their second win of the season.

Cibona went after their first ABA win of the season with a starting lineup of Rickey McGill, Antonio Sikirić, Lovro Mazalin, Marko Badžim and Vincent Trevon Mitchell, while Borac started Spear, Radovanović, Simović, Novak and Čarapić.

The first quarter was mostly even, with a slight edge for the hosts, who won it 30:24. Sikirić and Badžim (seven points each) stood out for Cibona, and Spear (eight) for Borac. In the second quarter Cibona stretched the lead to ten points or more, but Borac kept coming back and went into the break trailing by four (58:54). Badžim led Cibona with 11 points at the half, and Roy led Borac with 15.

The third quarter followed the same pattern: Cibona again moved more than ten points clear, and Borac again cut the gap to just two. The Wolves went into the final ten minutes leading 79:76. By then Badžim had 16 points, while Spear and Roy had 20 each for Borac.

In the fourth quarter Borac got within a point (79:78), but Cibona pulled away to 84:78 with a three and a two from Badžim. Spear and Roy then brought Borac level and then in front (84:86). Hepa equalised and added a free throw to make it 87:86, Roy answered with a three (87:89), and Mitchell tied it at 89:89 with a two. Roy restored Borac’s lead from the free-throw line, Simović extended it (89:93), and McGill turned it around to 94:93. Roy scored the decisive two for the final 94:95. Badžim, who scored 21 points, and Roy, with 32, were the headline names of this dramatic game.

Cibona head coach Ivan Rudež said after the game:

“You could say we’re soft. We still don’t have the toughness needed to open an ABA League game at home. Nobody from Čačak felt any fear, and when they come on the road they don’t play with fear, but with respect for the defensive rhythm that gets imposed and for the physical play. Credit to Borac, who are a good team full of experienced ABA League players. We absolutely don’t have the mental toughness to react on defence either.”

Borac head coach Saša Ocokoljić added:

“Congratulations to Cibona on a good game. I think it was a really good, enjoyable game to watch, a proper ABA League game. Cibona controlled the game for the most part, and we were playing from behind. We didn’t let them get away to a comfortable lead, but we knew they were quite a bit better than us. We came in relaxed, though a little soft on defence in the first half. Cibona dominated the paint quite a bit, but the key was to change our defence, start switching and closing the paint, and risk the threes. In the second half we improved our defence enormously, conceding only 36 points. That was the key to the comeback and the win, and we managed to defend Cibona’s last possession, which got us a win worth its weight in gold.”

Cibona face a new European test already on Tuesday, 20 October, at 20:00 at Dražen’s Hall, when they host Legia Warsaw in the Champions League.