SuperSport Premier League: Cibona defeats Split in dramatic derby at Gripe

In the derby of Round 16 of the SuperSport Premier League, in a game full of momentum swings, Split was defeated by Cibona 82:89 (24:18, 10:27, 30:19, 18:25). The home side opened the game better and built an 11-point lead (22:11), but Cibona responded with a crazy 27:4 run in the second quarter to go up by 12 (32:45).

The halftime break came at the right moment for Split, as Dino Repeša’s team regrouped in the locker room and, fueled by defensive energy, regained an eight-point advantage (72:64) in the 33rd minute. The atmosphere at Gripe was electric, making the derby a true pleasure to watch.

Cibona then answered with a run of their own to level the game. Split still held a 80:77 lead with 3:47 remaining, but then Jan Palokaj stepped up and put Cibona back on the path to victory. He knocked down two three-pointers and effectively decided the winner.

Ivan Rudež, Cibona head coach, thoroughly enjoyed the victory after spending plenty of energy and nerves throughout the game, but was finally able to relax at the end.

“Congratulations to the players and the entire club. We pulled this out through determination, defensive stretches in the fourth quarter when we managed to string together a couple of stops and hit some consecutive shots. We should never have allowed Split so many offensive rebounds. When you win a game despite so many childish mistakes, such poor shot selection, and with Roberson — one of our key players — being completely out of the game, then this victory is very important. It matters because it avenges that loss in Zagreb, but also because of what it means for the future”, said Rudež.

Jan Palokaj added: “This win meant a lot to us. We showed ourselves that we can beat an ABA League team. I really enjoyed playing at Gripe”.

Statistics are available HERE.