SuperSport Premier League: Cibona celebrates on a hot pitch in Sinj

A highly motivated Alkar opened the game in furious fashion. After just over three minutes of play, the home side had built an 11:2 lead, forcing the visiting coach to call an early timeout. However, the Sinj team refused to slow down and, led by Hollowell — who knocked down three three-pointers — continued their inspired performance, making it 16:8 in the seventh minute. Toward the end of the opening quarter, the visitors managed to cut into the deficit somewhat through the tall Lončar (19:14).

Alkar maintained their intensity at the start of the second period, with the scoreboard twice showing a double-digit lead (24:14, 26:16). As a result, the visiting coach had to use his second timeout of the first half. This one proved extremely effective. The visitors significantly raised their defensive aggression, leaving the home side completely without offensive solutions and forcing rushed, inaccurate shots late in possessions.

At the other end, the offense of the “Cibosi” was orchestrated by Žan Mark Šiško, who used the pick-and-roll game to involve both the inside and outside lines of his team. The result was a huge 18:0 run that allowed the visitors to take control and maintain the lead until halftime (31:39).

After returning from the locker room, Alkar once again found their rhythm and with a 9:2 run quickly got back into the game (40:41). Cibona briefly resisted the home surge, but only until the 28th minute, when Gordon scored five consecutive points to restore the lead for Alkar (51:48). Still, the visitors handled the closing moments of the third quarter better and carried a two-point advantage into the final period (51:53).

In the last quarter, the visitors preserved their lead mainly thanks to offensive rebounding and a large number of second- and third-chance opportunities. Four minutes before the end, after a layup by Katanović, Ivan Rudež’s players extended the lead to +7 (56:63).

However, the home side refused to surrender, especially their most experienced player, Pavle Marčinković. His two three-pointers brought drama back into the finish, the second making it 62:65 with two and a half minutes remaining.

During the closing stretch, with that scoreline, Alkar missed three opportunities to pull completely level — a missed layup and turnover by Marčinković, followed by an offensive foul by Krešić. That ultimately caused all the tremendous effort of the home team to go unrewarded. In the end, Krešimir Radovčić calmly converted free throws to seal the victory.

The leading scorer for the winning side was Čakarun with 15 points. Still, the standout performer and key architect of the visitors’ victory was Žan Mark Šiško. Although he struggled offensively (5 points, shooting 2/12), he filled both the assists and rebounds columns with identical numbers — 11 each.

For the traditionally hard-fighting Alkar side, Hollowell scored 14 points, while Marčinković and Gordon added 13 apiece.