SuperSport Cup Krešimir Ćosić: Split with three-pointers over Cibona to reach the grand final

The host of this year’s Cup managed to stay competitive only during the first half, although Split had already built a 12-point lead early in the second quarter thanks to a three-pointer by Vito Kučić (37–25). Cibona head coach Ivan Rudež tried using a small-ball lineup midway through the second period, but the bigger issue was not the offense so much as his team’s helplessness on defense. To be fair, Split shot fantastically from beyond the arc in the first half, knocking down 10 three-pointers on 15 attempts, with Antonio Jordano and Dario Drežnjak especially outstanding, finishing the opening quarter with a combined 7/8 shooting from the field.

Justin Roberson started the game very well, hitting his first two wing jumpers and scoring eight of Cibona’s first 12 points. He was complemented in the first half by the excellent Jan Palokaj, who opened the game without a miss (4/4 from the field). However, Split had phenomenal performances from Jordano and Drežnjak, who together scored as many points as the entire Cibona team in the first quarter (23). Palokaj was the only player who could somewhat slow down Jordano, but he picked up two fouls in the opening quarter, and Rudež kept him on the bench while Cibona slipped into an even bigger deficit. Drežnjak and Jordano each scored 18 points in the first half, catching fire in scoring bursts.

Later on, the rest of Split’s players joined in and the lead only continued to grow. Jack Stephens orchestrated the offense from the middle, Kučić penetrated the first defensive line and got to the paint with ease, while Antonio Sikirić was primarily tasked with defense. Repeša’s team simply had too many effective options and too many ball-handlers capable of creating or knocking down shots. Meanwhile, Cibona looked lost, their defense was porous, and Split eventually extended the margin to a game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Cibona had hoped to welcome back Žan Mark Šiško, but their biggest asset was held scoreless in 26 minutes on the court. The Wolves’ top scorer was Palokaj with 15 points. Split’s “Splash Brothers” in this matchup, Drežnjak and Jordano, both surpassed the 20-point mark. Drežnjak finished the game with 23 points on 7/9 shooting from the field, while Jordano added 21 points, including five three-pointers.