KK Ilirija – KK Dubrava 80:74 (18:19, 14:18, 24:12, 24:25)
Referees: Kadhodaei, Štokić, Dvorani (all Austria)
Attendance: 70
Scorers – Ilirija: Barisić 17, Macura 14, Ferme 13, Ščekić 12, Mikuš 10, Kureš 9, Padjen 3, Strnad 2
Scorers – Dubrava: Ročak 20, Vidović 14, Kuzmanović 11, Kalajžić 9, Karahodžić 6, Vragović 5, Jurić 4, Matić and Kos each 2, Stellan 1
Ilirija opened the scoring account, but both teams started the game strong on the offensive end. After 4 minutes of play, Ilirija had a 2-point lead, 10-8. Ilirija was keeping a small lead until the Dubrovka 3-pointer for an end-of quarter score of 18:19. The guests opened the second quarter with another 3–4 point lead. But with a fast counterattack, Macura put the score at 20:22. With a 3-pointer from Ferme Ilirija, he took the 1-point lead two minutes into the second quarter. Dubrovka tightened up the defense, and a minute before the halftime break, they took the biggest lead of the game, 9 points. In the last minute, Ilirija managed to put the halftime score at 32:37.
With two 3-pointers in a row three minutes into the 3rd quarter, Ferme tied the game at 41:41. With Kureš counterattack, Ilirija took the two-point lead. Another easy counterattack two points later, and Ilirija took their biggest lead of the game at 45:41. A 3-pointer from Barišić brought the Ilirija 7-point lead 5 minutes into the 2nd half, 48:41. The team brought the 3rd quarter to an end with 56:49. Mikuš opened the last quarter with a 3 for 59:49. Kureš with the 3 put Ilirija up by 13 points. What looked like a safe lead for Ilirija turned into a two-point game with 40 seconds left. Dubrava had the opportunity to tie the game or win it with a 3-pointer, but Ilirija managed to hold on and take the victory at home, 80:74.
Post-game quotes:
Stipe Modrić, coach of Ilirija: “Congratulations to my guys on the victory. We played a Slovenia Cup game yesterday, so it has not even been 24 hours since the last game. I can only congratulate the guys. Regarding the game, it was quite good throughout; at the end, it was seen that the guys were tired, but at the end, it’s important that we rest well and continue with good games.”
Luka Barišić, player of Ilirija: “Definitely a good game to watch. It was our second game in two days after yesterday’s Slovenian Cup game, so we were a little bit tired at the end, but we got the win, and that’s the most important.”
Jeronimo Sarin, coach of Dubrava: “Ilirija deserved a victory. Like in our domestic championship, we made stupid mistakes in the 3rd quarter; we got like 4 or 5 turnovers in a row, and from our plus, they took the lead from us. After that, we tried to get back into the game. We came close, but unfortunately, we missed the last shot. I congratulate Ilirija on the victory.”
Toni Račak, player of Dubrava: “Ilirija came out ready at the beginning of the second half, and we didn’t. They went on a run in the third quarter, and we played catch-up until the end. At the end, we managed to make a run, but defensively, we have to be consistent throughout the whole game in order to keep our lead and win the game.”
