By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda once again put its defensive prowess on display in EuroLeague and logged a 73-67 home win over ASVEL in Round 9. With this win, Zvezda improved to a 4-5 record while ASVEL now stands at 6-3.
Nikola Kalinic led the way offensively for the red-and-white with game-high 22 points on 7-12 shooting including 2-4 from deep and two free throws to seal the deal. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished out three assists, stole the ball twice, and drew eight fouls for a total of 27 PIR.
“Amazing job by the guys this night. After a good start, we probably got carried away thinking it was going to be an easy game. But they also showed that they didn’t accidentally get six wins. Congratulations to them also. We took the win and are ready for the derby [vs. Partizan NIS Belgrade in the Adriatic League] this weekend. We have to prepare for the double week,” Kalinic said.
Nikola Ivanovic followed with 14 points, five assists as the only other double-digit scorer for Zvezda while Ognjen Dobric scored eight.
On ASVEL’s side, Chris Jones scored 14 while Elie Okobo finished with 16 points on 5-16 from the field, being the primary focus of the opposing defenders. Youssoupha Fall logged a double-double with 11 points, ten boards.
The hosts had a strong start to the game, leading 22-9 early on. Although ASVEL recovered and was down five (50-45) at the end of the third quarter, Zvezda dominated the start of the fourth quarter with a 15-5 run and cruised to victory.
Ivanovic scored eight points, including two threes, to spark the crucial stretch. The French managed to put on a final comeback effort and soften the blow but it was too late to change the outcome.
Coach Dejan Radonjic congratulated his players for the win but was far from satisfied with the consistency of his team’s performance.
“We played good in the beginning of the game, defensively and offensively. They took the advantage in the second quarter and except for that in the beginning, it was bad – so many mistakes on both ends. The second half was, more or less, except for the last few minutes, like in the beginning, we had a big advantage but in the last minute, we played out of control and made so many mistakes, defensively, offensively… Almost, it was a tied game, but congratulations to my players, thanks a lot of our fans for the support. It is a big win for us tonight, but we have to think about the next game immediately.”