2014/2015 Adriatic League, Metalac and Olaj win

The action recommenced in the 2014/2015 Adriatic League after the competition broke for the New Year’s festivities. The league resumed on Saturday with two contests opening Round 16 as all clubs look to runaway leaders Crvena Zvezda Belgrade (15-0) at the top of the standings. None of the teams playing tonight are likely to challenge for honours come the end of the season, as Saturday saw two clashes between teams in the bottom half.

Igokea welcomed Szolnoki and Metalac entertained Krka. Check out the game summaries below to see how the contests played out.

Metalac Farmakom Valjevo vs. Krka Novo Mesto, 69-67
Metalac edged Krka at home as the clubs opened Round 16 of the 2014/2015 Adriatic League. The contest was tight throughout, as the stats prove with the teams relatively close on rebounds, assists, and successful buckets. The hosts reigned in the first quarter to control the early pace and outlast Krka through the ten minutes for a 23-18 lead. In the second frame the visitors managed to edge the scoreboard with a 17-19 run, but through halftime Metalac held a 40-37 lead. The Novo Mesto contingent looked to have wrapped the game with a fantastic 7-14 run in the third (47-54), but the home team responded with a big finish, winning the final act 22-16 to take the spoils.

Nikola Malesevic and Nikola Jevtovic paced the winning team with 17 points each, while Djordje Majstorovic claimed 16 points.

Malcom Armstead took a game high 20 points in Krka’s defeat, followed by Mirko Mulalic with 17 points and Alexis Wangmene with the games’ only double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds).

Igokea Aleksandrovac vs. Szolnoki Olaj, 66-71
Szolnoki Olaj grabbed its second successive win and handed Igokea a second consecutive loss with a road win. The away team used a big second half to turn around a losing deficit and win the game, but it was the Aleksandrovac club that made the early progress. The hosts commanded a low scoring first frame to take an early 16-11 lead into the first split. Igokea edged the second stanza 15-13 to look assured through the long break, the scoreboard reading 31-24. Szolnoki responded well in the third quarter and went big at the bucket with 28 points, while holding the home team to 18. With the score at 49-52 heading into the fourth, the visitors held their momentum and their nerve to take the win.