Cedevita Zagreb claims Croatian Cup

The Croatian Cup was big news as 9000 spectators watched Cedevita Zagreb defeat home team Zadar to win its third consecutive domestic cup title. It was not an easy win though, with Cedevita Zagreb eventually winning 74-70 after a battle on the hardwood that was buoyed by that ferocious crowd.

The hosts held the score 17-17 through the first quarter, but Cedevita Zagreb turned it around in the second frame on the back of a 1-7 run. The visitors could not control though as Zadar tied proceedings 45-45 in the third quarter. The locked scoreboard did not last long as Euroleague club Cedevita went up a gear with a 14-4 run that made it 59-49 at the start of the fourth. Not to go down without a fight, Zadar rallied again, getting to 67-69 with under a minute on the clock. Nemanja Gordic proved to be the hero for Cedevita as he drained from beyond the arc for a game winning 3 points.

Fran Pilepic shot 5 of 7 from downtown to pace the winning effort with 17 points overall, all from the bench. Marko Arapovic managed 11 points, while James White and Miro Bilan plundered 10 points apiece.

Ivan Marinkovic led Zadar with a game high 22 points, followed by Ante Delas with 13 points.