By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda missed its first chance to secure a spot in the ABA League semifinals, surrendering a 21-point lead in Ljubljana and falling to Cedevita Olimpija 92-86.
After winning Game 1 in Belgrade, Saša Obradović’s team now heads back home for a decisive Game 3, where the final semifinal ticket will be decided.
Crvena Zvezda led 39-18 in the second quarter and stayed in front for more than 37 minutes, but it wasn’t enough against a resilient Cedevita Olimpija side coached by Zvezdan Mitrović, which completed the comeback in the closing moments.
Umoja Gibson led the Slovenian team with 26 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while D.J. Stewart added 20 points. Aleksej Nikolić contributed 13 points and Thomas Kennedy finished with 10.
For Crvena Zvezda, Jordan Nwora scored 22 points, Jared Butler added 15 points and five assists, while Joel Bolomboy posted 11 points and five rebounds. Semi Ojeleye chipped in with 10 points.
Crvena Zvezda and Cedevita Olimpija are now the only quarterfinal series still undecided, with the winner set to face Partizan in the semifinals.
On the other side of the bracket, Budućnost dominated Cluj 112-81 in Podgorica in decisive Game 3 to book a semifinal matchup against Dubai, which will hold home-court advantage in the best-of-three series.
Axel Bouteille led the Montenegrin side with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Rasheed Sulaimon starred with 24 points. Zoran Nikolić added 16 points.
For Cluj, Daron “Fatts” Russell scored 24 points in what was the Romanian club’s final game of its debut ABA League season. Dušan Miletić recorded 16 points and eight rebounds, while Iverson Molinar added 15 points.
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