Cedevita - KK Partizan 70:50 (Adriatic League, Round 3)

This was the worst match of the year.
It was worse than playing against the red team with 3 players only, in the final of the previous Serbian league season. That match was blood, sweat and tears, this was butterfly fart (or even less). Two very weak teams stood up against each other.
Cedevita threw the first basket just after a few seconds, then Gagić equalized. We even took the lead after he scored again with an excellent movement (2:4). Our advantage didn’t last long... Croatians replied with a 3-pointer. Bogdanović had a rebound after Murić tried to score, but Cedevita reacted immediately (9:6).
And so forth... It was going like this for almost the entire match. Whenever Partizan threw a basket and reduced the difference, the home team immediately, instantly replied with a score. It was very distressing, especially that Partizan missed their chances in a row. We could throw two (2) 3-pointers during the entire match. It’s not much delightful either that Croatian players also missed out numerous chances.
In the middle of the first quarter Murić made a turnover, ran up to the opponent’s foul lane and threw a great basket (11:10). What is more, a bit later, after Bilan’s personal foul we got a foul shot and equalized. We kept the pace even at 13:13, but at this moment we already had a long row of missed chances behind us. Cedevita got two foul shots, they scored from both, as it’s supposed to be. The quarter ended with 17:13.

Bogdanović acts as a living blockade for Cedevita’s player, while Murić is watching from behind

The second quarter started again with lots of missed chances at both sides. It was so awful that Average Fan was close to a nose bleeding. Finally Dallo got fed up with this fumbling (17:15), but the reply was quick (19:15). Both teams operated with countless imprecise shots/passes and fouls. Once Bezbradica fell on the court, then Milutinov threw someone on the ground. Then someone made a foul against Gagić... and so on. For a whole minute there was only wrestling, with so many missed chances that was painful to see. Again Partizan broke the silence, but the counter-attack was instant again (21:17).

 Match action: Gordić trying to deactivate Tepić

The next minute brought a four-point series by Cedevita. It included everything, foul shot, turnover, ineffecitve block, even a bonus shot. Partizan tried to decrease the difference (25:20), but the Croatian team didn’t let them do so (26:20, then 28:20). Nothing worked out for Partizan. Finally Gagić threw a basket (28:22), Milutinov also did his best (28:24), at half-time the result was 29:24.

Match action: Gagić blocking

The third quarter brought the first 3-pointer of Partizan, by Edo Murić (31:29). Yet it was still the Match Of Missed Chances, for both teams. It says all that after almost 25 minutes of playing the result was still 33:31. Even the impossible was missed out. Cedevita wasn’t better than Partizan at all, just tonight even Lady Luck wasn’t on our side. 36:31, then 38:31, finally little Marinković threw from a foul shot (38:32). We had a lot of turnovers, but none, NONE of them ended in the basket. 41:32, 43:32, Average Fan was already waiting for the match to end... Tepić, at long last, 43:34, with immediate response... At 46:34 Gagić got his 4th personal foul. Partizan complained, everyone was staring at the monitors - I admit, I don’t know how it ended, I didn’t understand the explanation of the Serbian presenter well enough, but fact is Gagić wasn’t fouled out during the rest of the match. The end of the quarter brought 46:35, Bezbradica scored one from a foul shot.
The last quarter started again with too many missed chances, both teams were fumbling too much. We had to wait for more than 2 minutes for the first score. It was by Dallo (46:36). This was the point when Cedevita started to increase the difference. It was possible because Partizan kept on missing chances (the rest of our tryings were blocked by the Croatian players), then at 52:39 Murić was fouled out. Plus Cedevita made a seven-point series (59:39) and bang, the opponent was 20 points ahead of us.

Match action: Bezbradica trying to stop Zubčić

Dallo tried again to decrease the difference, but again the response was instant (61:41). Marinković threw the second 3-pointer of Partizan (61:44), the reply was 2 baskets by the home team (65:44). Bogdanović also scored two (65:48), but Cedevita couldn’t stand not having a 20-point difference (68:48). They threw another basket, finally Dallo fixed the result (70:50).

Cedevita: Mazalin, Zubčić (11), Ramljak (5), Pilepić (11), Babić (7), A. Delaš (3), Zganec (6), Bilan (13), M. Delaš (6), Gordić (8), Tomaš, Arapović
KK Partizan: Tepić (4), Aranitović, Kouzeloglou, Murić (10), Marinković (6), Dallo (7), Milutinov (2), Gagić (10), Andrić (2), Bezbradica (1), Bogdanović (8), Šalić

Current league standings:

1. Crvena Zvezda 6 points
2. Szolnoki Olaj 5 points
3. Union Olimpija 5 points
4. Krka 4 points
5. Cedevita 4 points
6. Partizan 4 points
7. Budućnost 4 points
8. MZT Skopje 3 points
9. Mega Vizura 3 points
10. Zadar 3 points
11. Levski 3 points
12. Igokea 3 points
13. Metalac 2 points
14. Cibona 2 points

(photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)