Adriatic League Round 5, day 1 recap

Round 5 of the Adriatic League is up and running with five games taking place on Saturday evening. There was plenty of good action on show, including Buducnost Podgorica breaking 100 points, and Partizan Belgrade picking up a vital win to stop its rot. It is worth noting that every team won well at home during the evening, leaving nothing for the visitors.

Szolnoki Olaj vs. Levski Sofia, 81-67
Hungarian club Szolnoki turned a 3-2 record and piled misery on Bulgarian visitors Levski Sofia, putting them on 1-4 in the Adriatic League. The hosts outlasted Levski through a tight first frame, emerging 16-15 in front after 10 minutes. Olaj went into another gear in the second to open a solid 39-31 lead at halftime. Winning third (20-18) and fourth (22-18) quarters ensured that the Hungarians were celebrating a comfortable victory.

Buducnost Podgorica vs. Cibona Zagreb, 101-79
Buducnost Podgorica broke a century on the way to crushing Cibona Zagreb at home, maintaining its unbeaten record in the competition so far. The Montenegrin team is now 5-0 and for the time being in sole possession of first place in the league. The first quarter was narrow, 19-16 in favour of the hosts; but from there Buducnost were in control, winning each frame (27-20, 24-18, 31-25) to post a big victory.

Mega Vizura vs. Union Olimpija Ljubljana, 85-66
Serbian hosts Vizura downed Union Olimpija with ease, getting the game off to a great start with a hot 23-13 first quarter. The visitors hit back with a 14-21 run in Q2, but Vizura still held a 37-34 lead at the long break. A big third quarter saw the hosts extend their lead to 57-47, giving them a double digit advantage heading into the final split. The KLS club saw out the game in style, while Rade Zagorac ended as the top scorer with 19 points for the winners.

Krka Novo Mesto vs. MZT Skopje, 85-52
Krka overcame Skopje with ease at home, putting over 30 points on their opponents for their biggest win of the season. The hosts were paced by Nebojsa Joksimovic and Erjon Kastrati with 15 points apiece, while the defence worked well allowing only one MZT player to reach double figures. It was a cruising 40 minutes on the hardwood for Novo Mesto as they won each quarter of the game (23-15, 20-16, 21-12, 21-9).

Partizan NIS Belgrade vs. Metalac Farmakom Valjevo, 84-77
The pressure finally eased on Partizan Belgrade as they put their terrible run on hold to get the season back on track in the Adriatic League. The Serbian hosts were solid in the game, but nerves were evident in the first frame when Metalac Valjevo paced to a 12-23 lead. Partizan recovered but could only tie the second stanza 22-22, before opening up with a big third period (25-12). The Serbian powerhouse then had the momentum and eased down the stretch with a winning fourth quarter.