SuperSport Premier League: Cibona continues its winning streak

The third quarter brought the best stretch for the Orange side—they even took the lead at one point (44–43), and the game stayed a one-possession contest until the closing moments of the period. Then Cibona responded through Hepa and Roberson, with two consecutive three-pointers by Hepa, heading into the final ten minutes with a +5 advantage (54–59).

In the final quarter, Vladimir Krstić’s players once again posed a serious threat and closed the gap to 58–59, but Cibona executed more mature possessions during that stretch, capitalized on mistakes, and with a 12–0 run essentially secured a calmer finish. With a minute remaining and the score at 70–78, Šiško intercepted a pass and scored for 70–80, putting the final stamp on the third city derby of the season.

Jordan Gainey led Cedevita Junior with 20 points, Mate Kalajžić added 13, and Lukša Buljević contributed 10. Cibona was led by Hepa with 21 points and Roberson with 13, along with a significant contribution from the bench (as many as 41 points).

Ivan Rudež, Cibona head coach: “Carry caused us problems with his drives in the first half, but overall we controlled the rebounds well—we applied pressure on the offensive glass and had 15 offensive rebounds. At times we made some nervous passing decisions; our turnovers created tension, so we had to rely on simpler offensive sets and adjust to their defense. In the end, despite a poor free-throw percentage, we successfully closed out the game”.

Krešimir Radovčić, Cibona player and captain: “I think it was a great game for the fans—you could see the desire from both teams to come out as winners, as both we and they have been in good form lately. This time it went our way; we showed maturity and experience in our play. I’d also like to congratulate coach Krstić on how he set up his team and wish them all the best going forward”.

The statistics are available HERE.