Union Olimpija Ljubljana took seventh place in the IJT Belgrade Tournament with a 65-80 win over Alba Berlin at Hala Basketland on Sunday. Jusuf Nurkic had a monster game of 21 points and 15 rebounds for the victors, and was seconded by 15 points and 8 rebounds from Emir Sulejmanovic. Both were needed to counteract the shooting display of Berlin guard Mauricio Marin, who had 23 points on 4-for-7 three-point shooting.

The first quarter saw Olimpija outscore Berlin 24-14, spurred on by inside shooting accuracy from Nurkic and Sulejmanovic. Neither player scored in the second quarter, but Olimpija’s healthy lead was maintained despite Berlin finding its scoring rhythm. Robin Jorch ended the first half strong and his last-second lay up for Berlin cut Olimpija’s advantage to 5 points, 37-42.

Berlin again racked up more points than Union Olimpija in the third quarter, too, taking a brief lead at 56-55 before Nurkic took at back on last shot before the 30-minute mark. That was the harbinger of a revival as Olimpija outscored Berlin 23-9 in the final quarter to transform a close contest into a comprehensive win. Marin became the game's top scorer with a last-gasp two-pointer, but it was of little consolation as Olimpija walked off big winners.