SuperSport Premier League: Cibona confirms at least third place

The home team opened with a 10–0 run (scored by Lončar, Katanović, Hepa and Šiško), but Šibenka responded with a 4–0 mini-run (Planinić and Scott on target). After that, Palokaj knocked down three consecutive three-pointers (with Golson adding a two in between), and after the first ten minutes Cibona held a +15 lead (28–13).

In the second quarter, the home side extended the lead to +21 through Skorić, Bart and Radovčić (34–13), but the visitors, thanks to Šarić, Scott and Golson, cut the deficit to a respectable 12 points (34–22). Cibona’s advantage grew to +24, and by halftime it stood at +22 (54–32).

The third quarter was opened with three-pointers by Šljivarić and Bart, but Golson, Planinić and Šljivarić reduced Cibona’s lead to 15 points (57–42). The teams then traded baskets up to 64–48. At 72–51, another back-and-forth stretch followed until 80–59, and the final ten minutes began with Cibona leading 82–59.

The last quarter was merely a formality, as Cibona secured another victory (their 21st of the season, alongside 8 losses).

For Cibona, captain Radovčić, Bart and Hepa stood out with 13 points each, while Katanović added 12. Skorić also contributed with 10. For Šibenka, the top performers were Golson with 21 points and Planinić with 17.

Ivan Rudež, Cibona head coach: “We approached the game very seriously. Our shooting served us well and we had a strong start, while our defense was at a very high level. I think our playmakers made fantastic decisions in the pick-and-roll. They consistently found the right solutions, and our finishers capitalized on them. Our defense was excellent and we managed to control Scott, although Golson still got his points. Planinić did his job in the paint, and we tried to limit his distribution. Congratulations to everyone—the minutes were well managed, especially with a tough away game in Split ahead. Congratulations to the players and everyone on the win”.

Vigo Bart, Cibona player: “We started really well from the beginning. We executed everything we agreed on. Even though Šibenik is fighting to avoid relegation, they didn’t come into the game easily. We imposed a strong tempo from the start and essentially decided the game in the first half”.

The statistics can be found HERE.