ALBA Berlin vs. Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade

2014-15Top 16Round 12

ALBA Berlin 73

Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 68

March 26, 2015 CET: 20:15

Local time: 20:15 O2 WORLD

ALBA Berlin holds off Zvezda for valuable victory

In an exciting showdown that went down to the wire, ALBA Berlin bested Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 73-68 in the German capital to improve to 6-6 in Top 16 Group F. ALBA remained strong in the fight for a playoffs spot, while Zvezda dropped to 3-9 and was mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt. Marko Banic paced the winners with 18 points on 8-of-10 two-point shooting. Alex Renfroe added 13 points and 6 assists, Leon Radosevic scored 10, while Reggie Redding dished a career-high 11 assists for ALBA. Boban Marjanovic led Zvezda with career-high numbers - 27 points and a performance index ranking of 40. He added 10 rebounds for his 14th double-double this season. Charles Jenkins added 19 points for the guests. Banic took over early and a three-pointer by Renfroe gave the hosts a 15-6 lead. Jonathan Tabu and Radosevic helped ALBA to a 22-9 lead after 10 minutes. Banic kept pushing ALBA and got help from Redding and Neils Giffey to boost the hosts' lead to 39-22 at halftime. Marjanovic took over after the break to bring Zvezda within 59-49 after 30 minutes. Luka Mitrovic and a red-hot Jenkins led Zvezda to tie the game at 61-61 with six minutes left. Radosevic and Renfroe rescued ALBA and a jumper by Redding sealed the outcome, 71-64, with less than two minutes remaining.

First quarter: Banic shines as hosts take control

Marjanovic got Zvezda going with a layup which Banic erased with his trademark mid-range jumper. A one-handed floater by Reggie Redding soon gave ALBA a 4-2 lead. Marjanovic shined with a one-handed dunk, but Banic took over with a reverse layup. A jump hook by Leon Radosevic gave the hosts an 8-4 lead. Marcus Williams found Nikola Kalinic for a layup in transition, before Banic sank a four-meter jumper and free throws by Jamel McLean put ALBA ahead 12-6. Alex Renfroe came off the bench and immediately delivered with a triple from the corner, which caused Zvezda to stop the game down 9. Jonathan Tabu hit foul shots and improved on Charles Jenkins's driving layup with a bomb from downtown for a 20-8 ALBA advantage. Marjanovic split free throws and had a big block at the other end, but a five-meter jumper by Radosevic gave ALBA a 22-9 cushion after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: ALBA surges ahead

Jenkins took over with a driving layup early in the quarter, but a red-hot Banic matched it with a close basket. Zvezda struggled to score without Marjanovic on court and a four-meter jumper by Radosevic saw the guests call timeout at 26-11. Marjanovic returned to the floor and rescued Zvezda with free throws, but he didn't find much help around until Jenkins stepped up with another fast break basket. ALBA called timeout and McLean sank foul shots to restore a 28-16 margin. Both teams kept struggling to score until Nemanja Dangubic shined with an off-balance basket. After Redding downed a one-handed floater, Renfroe provided a highlight with a coast-to-coast layup. A three-pointer by Neils Giffey broke the game open at 35-18. Banic hit a turnaround jumper,before Marjanovic followed free throws with a layup. A buzzer-beating layup by Renfroe fixed the halftime score at 39-22.

Third quarter: Marjanovic rescues Zvezda

Marjanovic hit free throws immediately after the break, but Radosevic beat the shot clock buzzer with a baseline jumper. Cliff Hammonds took over with a coast-to-coast layup that Stefan Jovic bettered with a three-pointer to make it 43-27. After McLean downed a six-meter jumper, Jovic scored again and a three-pointer by Jenkins caused ALBA to call timeout at 45-32. Alex King banked in a triple, but Marjanovic scored down low. A jumper by Banic gave the hosts fresh air at 50-34. Jovic insisted from downtown and Jenkins added a layup to get within 50-39. Tabu sank his second triple, but Jenkins and Marjanovic brought the guests within 53-45. Redding buried a catch-and-shoot turnaround jumper. Renfroe dunked in transition, but an outstanding Marjanovic brought Zvezda within 57-49. A layup-plus-foul by Banic gave ALBA a 59-49 advantage.

Fourth quarter: ALBA bounces back in time

Jenkins swished a mid-range jumper early in the quarter and soon added a free throw to get within 59-52. Maik Zirbes stepped up with a tip-in and Jaka Blazic added a fast break slam to make it a 3-point game. After Luka Mitrovic scored in penetration, Banic stepped up with a big basket in the low post and a three-pointer by Jenkins tied it at 61-61 with six minutes left. Radosevic shined with an off-balance basket and free throws by Renfroe restored a 65-61 ALBA lead. Renfroe kept pacing the hosts with a reverse layup that Marjanovic bettered with a dunk-and-foul. Banic hit free throws and a jumper by Redding sealed the outcome at 71-64 in the next-to-last minute. Zvezda struggled to score right when it mattered most and even though Marjanovic kept trying to change things, ALBA had plenty of time to celebrate an important home win.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Euroleague.net

Referees: LAMONICA, LUIGI; FOUFIS, IOANNIS; PERUGA, CARLOS

Attendance: 10867

By Quarter	1	2	3	4
ALBA Berlin	22	17	20	14
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade	9	13	27	19

End of Quarter	1	2	3	4
ALBA Berlin	22	39	59	73
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade	9	22	49	68

ALBA Berlin

							Rebounds						Blocks		Fouls
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG	3FG	FT	O	D	T	As	St	To	Fv	Ag	Cm	Rv	PIR
5	GIFFEY, NIELS	11:36	3	0/1	1/1		2		2	1		2			2		1
7	KING, ALEX	19:36	3	0/1	1/4	0/2		1	1					1		1	-2
9	TABU, JONATHAN	8:45	8		2/3	2/2		2	2	1		1			1	1	9
11	VARGAS, AKEEM	13:05		0/1				1	1		1			1	4		-4
13	BANIC, MARKO	24:16	18	8/10		2/3	2		2	1	1	1		1	1	2	18
15	REDDING, REGGIE	35:06	8	4/7	0/2			7	7	11	2	2			2	5	24
18	WOHLFARTH-BOTTERMANN, JONAS	3:55		0/1		0/2	1		1		2			1	2	1	-2
20	RENFROE, ALEX	31:34	13	4/5	1/3	2/3	1	1	2	6	2	6			4	7	16
25	HAMMONDS, CLIFF	8:54	2	1/3	0/1							1		1	3	1	-5
33	MCLEAN, JAMEL	19:57	8	1/3		6/6		4	4		2	1			2	4	13
35	FREESE, JANNIK	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
43	RADOSEVIC, LEON	23:16	10	5/11		0/1		4	4			1			2	1	5
	Team						3	3	6								6
	Totals	200:00	73	23/43	5/14	12/19	9	23	32	20	10	15	0	5	23	23	79
				53.5%	35.7%	63.2%

Head coach: OBRADOVIC, SASA

Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating

Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade

							Rebounds						Blocks		Fouls
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG	3FG	FT	O	D	T	As	St	To	Fv	Ag	Cm	Rv	PIR
3	WILLIAMS, MARCUS	5:16			0/1					3	1					1	4
4	REBIC, NIKOLA	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	DANGUBIC, NEMANJA	20:18	2	1/3	0/1			2	2			1				1	1
9	MITROVIC, LUKA	34:07	4	1/4	0/6	2/2	2	8	10	2		3			3	1	2
11	BLAZIC, JAKA	16:39	2	1/3	0/1	0/2	1	1	2	1		2			4	2	-4
12	KALINIC, NIKOLA	28:43	3	1/2	0/2	1/1	1	1	2			3	1		4	3	-1
13	MARJANOVIC, BOBAN	30:23	27	9/12		9/11	3	7	10				2		2	8	40
14	KAPLANOVIC, DORDE	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
22	JENKINS, CHARLES	30:04	19	5/8	2/6	3/5		1	1	3	2	1	1		4	3	15
24	JOVIC, STEFAN	24:57	9	1/2	2/2	1/2		3	3	5	2	6			4	2	9
33	ZIRBES, MAIK	9:33	2	1/2			2	1	3		2		1		2		5
	Team						1	1	2								2
	Totals	200:00	68	20/36	4/19	16/23	10	25	35	14	7	16	5	0	23	21	73
				55.6%	21.1%	69.6%

Head coach: RADONJIC, DEJAN

Head Coaches

OBRADOVIC, SASA

ALBA Berlin

"Our second half was not good, tactically we did a bad job. This is still the Euroleague and this is an inexperienced team which could make such mistakes. All in all, even with this win, we have to be more then satisfied with our presentation in the Euroleague this season. What happens next, for us, we already had a great success behind us in the Euroleague. I don't think about the playoffs. We are winning more than we expected and that's it, we are satisfied and thinking about our next game."

RADONJIC, DEJAN

Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade

"We came to Berlin already missing two players and then we also lost Marcus Williams in the first half with an injury. That put us in a difficult situation and ALBA took advantage with all the quality they have, especially on defense. In the second half we reacted much better to the situation and played well on defense. We tied the game in the fourth quarter, but in the final moments ALBA showed that they are the more experienced team and took the win."

Players

BANIC, MARKO

ALBA Berlin

"I feel very happy, but in the last two minutes, I almost had five heart attacks! We really need to calm down and use our advantage. We had a similar scenario in our last game against Galatasaray. We fell down and didn't know how to come back, but like I said many times this season, this team has big character. We always fight and never give up. Marjanovic is so big, so huge. You always need to find a Plan B on defense. We did what we could; Leon Radosevic did a great job on him. He is a tough guy and other guys helped him. Our Euroleague dream lives on and we need to practice and work hard. We need to turn our emotions down and be focused on the next game, which will also be very tough."