KK Cibona vs. KK Kvarner 80:82: Last-second battle goes to Rijeka

Following the international break, the SuperSport Premijer liga returned with an intense Round 10 matchup. KK Cibona hosted Rijeka's KK Kvarner at Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall. Both teams entered the game in high spirits following recent victories, with Cibona aiming for their fourth consecutive win. The match also marked the debut of Jan Palokaj, who recently joined the team from Bashkimi.

Game summary and key moments

The game began with a basket by Filip Vujičić, but Cibona quickly responded with a 5:0 run through Luka Skorić and Markus Lončar. The guests answered with a 7:0 run of their own. Captain Krešimir Radovčić and debutant Palokaj kept the score close, leading to a 22:21 advantage for Cibona at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair. After Kamaka Hepa scored to put Cibona up 40:35, Kvarner went on an 8:0 run to lead 40:43 at halftime. The tension continued into the third quarter, which ended spectacularly as Vigo Bart hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Cibona a 64:63 lead heading into the final period.

In the closing ten minutes, Kvarner managed to secure the victory 80:82 with a mix of steady play and late-game luck, snapping Cibona's winning streak that had lasted since early November.

Post-match quotes

Head Coach Ivan Rudež viewed the result as a wake-up call:

"The result is a reflection of our defense in the first half, which was below an acceptable level. I need to evaluate my own psychological preparation of the team and tactical errors."

"The way we want to play this season, this is unacceptable. We must take this as a warning."

New signing Jan Palokaj shared his disappointment: "It's a bad feeling to lose, whether it's your first or fifteenth game. We looked completely disengaged and unfocused. We didn't execute our preparations on the court at all. We need to correct these mistakes so they don't happen again."

Josip Pavković also noted that a lack of concentration allowed the opponents to score easy points, which ultimately cost them the game. Cibona now looks ahead to a busy schedule next week with two matches on the horizon.

The statistics are available at THIS LINK.