MKS Dabrowa Górnicza – SCM OHMA Mozzart Bet Timisoara 93:86 (24:17, 21:15, 30:22, 18:32)
Referees: M. Scholze, L. Ulrych, M. Kovacovic
Attendance: 350
Venue: HWS Centrum im. Zygmunta Cybulskiego
Scorers – Dabrowa Górnicza: Krampelj 20, Blakes 18, Chealey 15, Drame 10, Piechowicz 8, Bluiett and Mokros each 7, Radwański and Kucharek each 3, Rajewicz 2
Scorers – Timisoara: Djoković 26, Kesar 21, Mekić 12, Gajić 10, Mirković 6, Lazar and Petrescu each 4, McClellan 3, Maticiuc 0
Both teams entered the meeting with great spirit, being aware of the importance of this match in the context of advancing to the Final Four. The first fragments were an even rivalry with an indication of MKS, who played with more and more confidence with each passing minute. A particularly great advantage for the hosts turned out to be a great transition, which allowed them to score fast break points. In the team from Dabrowa Górnicza, Martin Krampelj did a great job, playing not only impressively, but also effectively. Joe Chealey and Gerry Blakes also made good starts to the game. On the side of the guests from Romania, the center Igor Kesar stood out significantly, who, using his great physical condition, effectively penetrated the under-basket zone, but without sufficient support from his colleagues he was unable to stop MKS, who went to the break leading 45:32.
The second half began with the continuation of the great performance of MKS, which, playing with great freedom and efficiency, systematically increased its advantage. In the third quarter, the hosts played very effectively and significantly increased their advantage – 75:54. When it seemed that nothing could change the course of the match, the players from Timisoara accelerated the pace of the game, increasing the pressure on the rival and, under the command of their quarterback – Illija Djokovic, began to make up for the losses. Initially surprised, MKS needed a moment to shake off and return to its game. Ultimately, however, the Dabrowa team showed their maturity and character, withstood the pressure and finally won 93:86.
Post-game quotes:
Jacek Winnicki, coach of Dabrowa Górnicza: “We are happy to win. Unfortunately, we didn’t hold a large advantage – we had even 24 points. This is a double game and today’s game is the first half of this fight. The second half will be held in Timisoara. The team which will have good results there will enjoy advancement. I’m sure that we will go there to win or maintain a 7-point advance.”
Kacper Radwański, player of Dabrowa Górnicza: “We are very happy that we won today, because it’s advance before the revenge game in Romania. I think that this advance should be higher, because we were winning by 24 points after the third quarter. A short moment of distraction made that players of Timisoara believed in victory and they started making up for losses. We will go to Romania and we will fight to win.”
Dragan Petričević, coach of Timisoara: “It was a good game, maybe not for the coaches but for the fans for sure. It was a very good game with a lot of points. I’m happy for my team because they found resources to come back in the game and to show, that we are not in this quarterfinal stage by mistake. Congratulations to the host team and now we should focus on the next game of the season. Welcome to Timisoara and we will wait to play one more game.”
Ilija Djoković, player of Timisoara: “That was a tough game. We came here, we had a big game in the Romanian league. Quarterfinals is eliminations time, so it was a tough game. We showed characters after three quarters when we were losing big digits, and we showed characters. I think that the team is coming back in the right spot where it needs to be so we will continue to grind and work. Big congratulations to Dąbrowa. We will grind and continue to practice and get back in better shape because we were injured and we had 3 players who were injured. We will stay healthy and get back in the right spot and get back on the winning path.”
