ABA League Round 10 roundup
Round 10 of ABA League regular season action is now in the books and it was, for the most part, “business as usual” for some of the teams as the top squads bagged wins, while others struggled to stay afloat in one of Europe’s more competitive leagues. The round was capped off by no less than the current top dog of the Adriatic, Crvena Zvezda Telekom Beograd. It was an easy win for the league leaders, as they hosted Macedonian club Karpos Sokoli. Surprisingly, the game remained close and competitive for the first three quarters. It was only in the fourth and final frame that Red Star busted out and surged ahead for a double digit lead and did not look back. Marko Simonovic and Milko Bjelica each dropped 21 points to lead the hosts to the win. The Serbian powerhouse is now 10-0, while Karpos Sokoli sinks to the bottom of the league standings with their 1-9 record.
Cedevita vs. Cibona, 100-80
This was an interesting derby game between two Croatian Titans. Both teams had identical records coming into this one and only one would move closer to challenging the other top teams. The game would also alter the Top 5 landscape of the standings. It was an impressive win by Cedevita, which took control of the game early and did not relinquish control. They got things going immediately and ended the first quarter with a commanding 32-18 advantage. Luka Babic was a force that could not be contained as he dropped 24 points, five rebounds, and six assists to lead Cedevita to victory. Cedevita bumps up in the standings to third place (7-3), while Cibona remains in good shape at fifth place (6-4).
Buducnost vs. Union Olimpija Ljubljana, 84-74
KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica of Montenegro retained their firm grip on the second place position of the standings with this win. They are 9-1 and are just one game behind Crvena Zvezda. They had superior ball movement compared to Union Olimpija and notched 20 assists for the game, compared to just 12 for their guests. Union Olimpija shot better from beyond the 3-point arc, but it was not enough to offset the easy baskets Buducnost got from open looks. It was a solid win for Budunost as their team effort overcame a big 21-point scoring night for Brandon Jefferson.
Zadar vs. BC Partizan, 69-76
Partizan grabbed this one thanks to some successful long-range shooting. The Serbian club hit 11-of-23 shots from downtown to outscore their hosts and establish their control of the game in the first half. The win has Partizan keeping it’s fourth-place position in the standings as they improve to 7-3. Zadar will look to bounce back soon. They are 4-6 and are in eighth place in the ABA league standings at the moment. Stefan Bircevic led three other Partizan players to score in double figures with 15 points.
Here are the results of the four other games in Round 10:
Mega Leks vs. Mornar Bar, 93-87
Krka Novo Mesto vs. BC Igokea, 72-88
MZT Skopje vs. FMP, 89-68