Overtime win gives Zvezda a lead in Semi-finals
Crvena zvezda Telekom are heading to Zagreb with a 1:0 lead in the Semi-final series after they have beaten Cedevita in the first game of the series after an overtime thriller in Aleksandar Nikolić Hall, Belgrade.
Crvena zvezda Telekom are heading to Zagreb with a 1:0 lead in the Semi-final series after they have beaten Cedevita in the first game of the series after an overtime thriller in Aleksandar Nikolić Hall, Belgrade.
ABA League Semi-finals, Round 1, Tuesday, 15.3.2016:
CRVENA ZVEZDA TELEKOM - Cedevita 97:88 (22:14, 15:29, 19:13, 26:26, 15:6)
Game recap: Crvena zvezda Telekom made the first step towards reaching the ABA League Finals, as they have beaten Cedevita in an overtime thriller at home in Pionir Hall in front of 6,286 fans in the first game. Cedevita were the ones that have been in a better position at the end of the 40 minutes of the game, but Jacob Pullen missed the shot to give his team the win after regular time. In the overtime, the energy of the home side prevailed and they confirmed their home court advantage in this semi-final series.
Key moments: Cedevita were the ones that were in the lead (by six points) at half time, after they have gone on a 18:3 run between 11th and 17th minute and turned the 24:16 score for Crvena zvezda Telekom into a 34:27 lead in their favour. Howver, Zvezda managed to make it anybody"s game quickly after the beginning of the second half and it stayed that way all until the end of the regular time of the game. Jacob Pullen had the chance to give his team the victory in the dying seconds of the 40 minutes, but his three point shot attempt missed the target.
The game went Zvezda"s way in the opening three minutes of the overtime, when they have gone on a 7:0 run. There was no more chance of a return for Cedevita.
Man of the match: Quincy Miller has shown a monstruous performance during this game and he was the one to lead the way for Crvena zvezda Telekom past Cedevita. He finished the 45 minutes with the game high 24 points (with a 5/11 from behind the arc (45%)) and 8 rebounds, while adding 2 assists, steals and blocks each. He is our man of the match.
Can"t trick the stats: The ratio of assists and turnovers was probably the one to decide this game, since Crvena zvezda Telekom had an 22:8 ratio in favour of assists, while Cedevita valued the ball much less with a 16:16 ratio. Just enough for the final margin in favour of the home side.
