SuperSport Premier League: Cibona saved the victory against Zabok after +19

The home team opened the game with Šiško, Katanović, Palokaj, Hepa, and Lončar in the starting lineup, while Zabok started with Tomas, Knežević, Širko, Nakić-Vojnović, and Bubalo.

Nakić-Vojnović opened the scoring with a layup, but Katanović quickly responded on the other end. The opening minutes were physical on both sides, with somewhat poor shooting, and Cibona entered the bonus as early as the 4th minute. A three-pointer by Šiško gave the home team their first more significant lead, going up by four points. Cibona continued to build their advantage and in the 8th minute extended it to +8 after a three by Bart, but Širko soon responded in kind. Čakarun then pushed the lead to +9, forcing Zabok to call a timeout. Radovčić hit a three to make it +12, while Rajčić answered the same way to cut the deficit to 22:13 at the end of the quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, Cibona maintained the same rhythm and extended their lead to its largest at that point, +15, after a basket by Radovčić. They went on a 6:0 run, forcing Zabok into another timeout. The visitors still couldn’t find a solution, while the home side increased the lead to as much as +19 and went into halftime ahead 40:26.

The visitors opened the third quarter better. Širko hit a three-pointer and then a layup to cut the deficit to -9, prompting coach Rudež to call a timeout. However, Cibona quickly stabilized and extended the lead again with a three by Serdarušić. Zabok then made a full comeback. Uljarević hit two consecutive threes to bring it to -5, and Nakić-Vojnović reduced it further to just -4 from the free-throw line. Rajčić tied the game at 50:50 late in the quarter. Still, in the final possession, Paić fouled Palokaj, who converted the basket and the additional free throw, giving Cibona a 53:50 lead heading into the final quarter.

Both teams struggled offensively at the start of the fourth quarter, managing only a modest 4:2 run over five minutes. Cibona then went up by six points, after which coach Ivan Tomas called a timeout. Uljarević responded with a three to cut the deficit to -4. In the closing moments, Uljarević fouled Palokaj, who calmly converted his free throws to give Cibona a +6 lead with around 30 seconds remaining. Uljarević then hit another three to bring the visitors within -3, but Hepa restored a +5 lead from the free-throw line. In the final possession, Rajčić made a three-pointer for the final score of 66:64, but there was no time left for a complete comeback.

The top scorer for Cibona was Jan Palokaj with 16 points, while Henrik Širko led Zabok with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Cibona head coach Ivan Rudež:

“We led from the start and built a big 19-point advantage. However, the lack of that ‘killer instinct’ concerns me a bit—we didn’t have the sharpness and predatory mentality to turn those 19 into 29. These things come down to small details, like stronger movement to get open for the ball. In the second half, we lost several possessions and allowed the opponent to come back and gain confidence. In the end, we secured the win, which is very important for us since we’re not playing at home and are trying to settle in here. Despite very poor three-point shooting in the second half, we closed out the game and made important free throws. A very important win for us. Congratulations to everyone, and also valuable lessons for next week”.

Cibona player Jan Palokaj:

“The first half was exactly how we planned it. We ran them and played really well. In the second half, there was a drop. We missed open shots that would have probably decided the game, but it’s unacceptable that we didn’t play good defense afterward and put ourselves in trouble. In the end, we stayed composed, closed out the game, and continue to push Split in the fight for second place. I believe in this team, as we all do, and at no point did I think we would lose”.

Statistics are available HERE.