Prokom Trefl Sopot downing Union Olimpija 79-68

Prokom Trefl Sopot finished its 2007-08 Euroleague season in style by downing Union Olimpija 79-68 at home in Group A on Wednesday. Both teams finished Group A tied for the sixth place with a 4-10 record and out of the Top 16. Olimpija was sixth and Prokom seventh due to its tie-break advantage, as the Slovenian powerhouse beat the Polish League champion 68-49 earlier in Group A. Milan Gurovic paced the winners with 22 points, 7 rebounds and a Euroleague career-best 4 assists. Donatas Slanina added 18 points, Pape Sow added 16 and 8 rebounds while Jovo Stanojevic got 12 points for Prokom. Jasmin Hukic had 16 points for Olimpija while Boris Gorenc added 10. A three-pointer by Sasa Doncic gave Olimpija its bigger lead, 19-26, early in the second quarter. Slanina and Gurovic fueled a 10-0 run and kept pacing Prokom to a 38-32 halftime margin. An unstoppable Gurovic shined in the third quarter to extend the hosts' margin to 59-50 after 30 minutes. A layup by Stanojevic sealed the outcome, 69-54, as Prokom held off a late Olimpija rally to get its third win in the last 4 games.

Stanojevic going Prokom going with a jump hook, as Olimpija tried to speed up the game tempo in the opening 2 minutes. Mirza Begic tied the game with a put-back layup but Stanojevic gave Prokom a 4-2 edge. Begic kept pacing Olimpija while Marko Milic added a layup to make Prokom call timeout at 4-6. Slanina found his first points on a corner three-pointer but Begic dunked it to put Olimpija back ahead, 7-8. Stanojevic scored again in the low post but Goran Dragic fed Gorenc for an easy basket while Hukic buried one from downtown for a 9-13 Olimpija lead. Prokom kept running its offense through Stanojevic until he went to the bench with 2 fouls. Sow provided a highlight with a power dunk that Gorenc erased with a five-meter shot to put Olimpija back ahead, 13-15. A driving basket by Maurice Bailey and a left-handed layup by Sow fixed the score at 15-17 after 10 minutes.

Miha Zupan found his first points around the basket and then matched Sow's basket with a jump hook. Prokom kept trying to get its big men involved but Zupan found an uncontested layup for a 19-23 Olimpija lead. Doncic stepped up with a corner triple but Krzysztof Roszyk answered from downtown to keep Prokom within 22-26. Prokom kept struggling to score but improved its defense off a timeout. Christos Harissis took over with a big basket while Gurovic added a tip-in - his first points tonight - to tie the game at 26-26 after 16 minutes. Olimpija kept missing mid-range shots now, while an unstoppable Sow found a layup-plus-foul that capped a 10-0 run and made Prokom regain the lead, 29-26. Gurovic sank back-to-back unbelievable triples, one from each corner, and fed Slanina for a fast break basket to give Prokom a 37-30 edge. Gorenc buried a jumper to get the guests within 38-32 at halftime.

Gurovic pleased the fans with a reverse dunk for a 40-32 Prokom lead right after the break. Begic dunked it over Filip Dylewicz in the other end but Slanina answered from downtown to make it a nine-point game, 43-34. Milic scored his trademark up-and-under layup in the low post while Gorenc dunked it to give Olimpija some hope at 43-38. Gurovic sank another corner triple that Hukic matched in the other end. Gurovic insisted from downtown but once again Hukic did the same in an outstanding shootout between both players now. Dylewicz shined with a huge dunk that Slanina followed with a corner triple for a 54-44 Prokom margin. Olimpija called timeout to adjust its offense but Stanojevic sank a jumper. Milic took over with a reverse layup that Dragic followed with free throws. Slanina nailed another three-pointer but Dragic had a huge block on him seconds after that that allowed Olimpija to stay within 59-50 after 30 minutes.

Doncic scored in transition early in the fourth quarter, as Olimpija improved its aggressivity in defense. The game turned into a physical battle and Prokom made the most out of it, trying to use long possessions and powering the offensive board. Sow hit a six-meter shot while Milic was disqualified for punching him with 6 minutes to go. Sow made a 3-for-4 free throws to restore a double-digit Prokom lead, 64-52. Olimpija needed a quick comeback to return the game and Hasan Rizvic tried to ignit one with a power layup. Free throws by Slanina and a layup by Stanojevic broke the game open, 69-54, with 4 minutes remaining. Dragic sank a triple and Bailey added a driving layup but Gurovic fired in in fifth three-pointer to seal the outcome, 72-59. Olimpija kept trying but Prokom had already given its fans a final Euroleague win before focusing on winning a fifth consecutive Polish League title.