Mornar’s giant leap towards keeping the ABA status
In the game of the two of the main rivals in the battle to avoid relegation from the ABA League, Mornar have beaten Krka, achieved their first road win of the season and have moved away from the bottom of the standings.
Vukota Pavic (Photo: Krka/Drago Perko/kosarka.si)
ABA League Regular Season, Round 24, Saturday, 25.2.2017:
Krka - MORNAR 63:72 (11:12, 13:7, 12:28, 27:25)
Story of the game: Two of the three teams that have been sharing the league’s very bottom ahead of the round 24 have met in Novo mesto, as Krka hosted Mornar and it were the guests that have achieved a victory, their first on the road this season, and celebrated a huge step towards keeping their ABA League status for the next season as well. Mornar are now one win above the league’s bottom with 8 wins on their record, while Krka hold 7 and are placed below them, together with Zadar.
Good news from the side of Bar is also that they have now beaten their competitors from Novo mesto twice this season, which gives them an important advantage in their head to head battle.
Key moments: When Krka began the second half with a 5:2 run during the opening 3 minutes, the score was 29:21 in their favour and everything seemed to be going their way at that point. However, what followed was an exceptional reaction by the guests. Mornar created a 26:7 run until the end of the quarter, which gave them a double-digit lead (47:36). Krka did not want to give up their hopes for a new pair of points, but it was too late. The winner was decided.
Man of the match: Just like many times this season, Antabia Waller was the man for Mornar. The fantastic guard led his team in scoring with 21 points, while adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists for the game-high valuation of 21. He is our man of the match!
Can't trick the stats: Non-convincing game on the offense was the one that costed Krka a pair of points. They had 18 turnovers (in comparison with only 13 of Mornar) and this was decisive this time.
