Ilirija make a break in Game 1 of the Qualifiers

AdmiralBet ABA League Qualifiers, Round 1, Thursday, 29 May 2025:

Cibona – ILIRIJA 88:93 (18:32, 29:22, 24:19, 17:20)

PHOTO GALLERY
POST-GAME COMMENTS

Game recap: Ilirija are once more just a step away from qualifying for the 2025/26 AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season! After the Ljubljana squad have previously been 1:0 up in the NLB ABA League 2 Finals, but lost the series 2:1 to Bosna Visit Sarajevo in the end, they have this time taken advantage over Cibona in the ABA League Qualifiers, by beating the Wolves 88:93 on the road in Zagreb and now they lead the series 1:0 ahead of the Game 2, which will take place in Tivoli Sports Hall in Ljubljana on 4 June 2025.

Key moments: Ilirija have gone off to a flying start and were already up by 17 points in the 9th minute of the game (15:32), but Cibona fought their way back into the game and even took the lead with 4 minutes to go, when Ivan Perasović hit the three-pointer (85:83), their lead did not last for long, though, as Ilirija replied with a 4:0 run and the visiting side entered the final minute with 2-point advantage (87:89). Krešimir Radovčić cut the gap to only a point with 56 seconds  to go, but the key moments arrived a bit later. Vincent Golson scored the crucial bucket from mid-range with 35 seconds to go, which put his team up by 3 points (88:91) and Ivan Majcunić missed a three-pointer attempt 10 seconds later. Cibona did not manage to score anymore and Ilirija celebrated a big win in the end.

Man of the match: Tim Tomažić has been the key player for Ilirija, as he led them to the important road win with 24 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block and a valuation of 34 on his record. He is our man of the match!

Can’t trick the stats: Cibona had 13 turnovers and Ilirija only 6. It seems like this just might decide the winner this time around.