Split grab a huge win as they prevail over Mega Mozzart after a dramatic finish

AdmiralBet ABA League Round 24, Thursday, 31 March 2022:

SPLIT - Mega Mozzart 81:80 (25:27, 13:16, 21:12, 22:25)

PHOTO GALLERY

POST-GAME COMMENTS

Game recap: What a game! Split have defeated Mega Mozzart in one of the most dramatic game endings we have seen in this season. 

The famous Yellow team have therefore extended their winning streak as this was their 3^rd win in a row in the ongoing season. Split now have the overall score of 6-17 which puts them two wins in front of last-placed Krka who currently are at 4-18.

On the other side, Mega Mozzart failed to break their losing streak as this was their 6^th defeat in a row. Still, with the overall score of 8-15, the Belgrade team are safely positioned at the 10^th place on the standings.

Key moments: It is really hard to describe everything that has happened in the final 30 seconds of this match. Toni Perković scored an off-the-glass 3-pointer to put Split in front by 5 – 79:74, but Mega Mozzart's tonight's top scorer Boriša Simanić responded immediately with a 3-pointer of his own to reduce the gap to 2 points once again – 79:77.

Split's star player Shannon Shorter then got fouled and he scored both free throws to increase the lead of his team to 81:77, with less than 10 seconds remaining on the game clock. But, in simply incredible turn of the events, Mega Mozzart 18-year-old top prospect Nikola Jović scored an AND-1 3-pointer in the very last second of the match to reduce the gap to 1 point – 81:80 – and he had a free throw to take this game into overtime.

However, Mega Mozzart’s youngster failed to complete this 4-point play as he missed the key free throw and the score remained 81:80 for Split.

Man of the match: That would be Split’s guard Toni Perković, despite the fact that in the very last second of the match he almost ruined everyting he had previously done for his team. Perković was the top scorer of his team with 21 points, but it was him who made that foul on Nikola Jović in the last second that could have taken this game into overtime. Luckily for Perković, Jović missed that free-throw and his mistake went unpunished.

Can’t trick the stats: In almost every key game segment, the two sides were more or less equal. So at the end, that one single free-throw made the difference tonight.