SuperSport Premier League: Cibona ends Dinamo’s winning streak

The starting five for the home side consisted of Palokaj, Čakarun, Serdarušić, Šiško, and Hepa. Dinamo opened with Hunt, Garafolić, Polutak, Vidović, and Jacović.

This Zagreb derby began with a three-pointer by Jacović, but Šiško, Jan Palokaj, Kamaka Hepa, and Serdarušić responded with an 11:0 run for Cibona (11:3). Garafolić and Vidović managed to stop the streak, but Hepa and Čakarun pushed the home side to a double-digit lead (16:6). Dinamo head coach Damir Mulaomerović called a timeout, which paid off as Novačić hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to seven (16:9).

From that point on, the teams traded baskets, and after Hunt scored to make it 21:13, Cibona coach Ivan Rudež called a timeout. The opening quarter ended with Cibona leading 24:16.

The second quarter started with a three-pointer by Šiško, while Lončar extended Cibona’s lead to +14 (30:16). Hunt answered for 30:18, prompting another Cibona timeout, which proved successful as Skorić scored immediately afterward. Rogić then hit a three for 32:21, and following another basket by Lončar, the visitors cut the deficit to six through Rogić, Vidović, and Garafolić (34:28). Čakarun stopped Dinamo’s momentum with a basket for 36:28, and at 38:29 the visitors used another timeout.

Cibona entered halftime with a 44:38 advantage, led by Palokaj with nine points, while Rogić had eight for Dinamo.

The third quarter opened with a basket by Dinamo captain Garafolić (44:40). On Cibona’s side, Skorić and Šiško scored to make it 48:40, leading to another timeout by Mulaomerović. Polutak added free throws, but Skorić answered with a three-pointer to restore a nine-point lead (51:42). Savić then hit a fortunate three-pointer for 51:45, and after a free throw by Čakarun, the visitors continued to fight back, with Vidović and Hunt reducing the gap to just three points (52:49). However, Cibona stayed composed and entered the final quarter ahead 66:57.

The final period began with points from Garafolić for Dinamo and baskets from Skorić and Krešimir Radovčić for Cibona (73:59). Lončar and Šiško then effectively sealed the outcome (78:59), making the closing stages little more than a formality.

With this victory, Cibona moved level with Split in the battle for second place (both teams now have 40 points), while Dinamo saw their two-game winning streak come to an end. The standout performers were Luka Skorić with 20 points for Cibona and Garafolić with 15 for Dinamo.

Ivan Rudež, Cibona head coach: “I think we controlled the game from the start. We opened well, much better than in the previous game, and that made the difference today. I believe our defense was at a good level for most of the game, especially our team defense against penetration, and we managed to limit Hunt so he couldn’t hurt us with his drives. That gave us a good foundation. They tried to disrupt our rhythm with zone defense, and we had six clumsy possessions where we lost momentum a bit. Still, we recovered, did a good job in the third quarter, and calmly closed out the game”.

Luka Skorić, Cibona player: “I want to congratulate my teammates on a tough and physical game. We gave everything to bounce back after the loss to Dubrava, where things didn’t go the way they should have. Now we turn our focus to Alkar on Saturday”.

Statistics are available at THIS LINK.