CRO - Zadar one win away from championship glory

ZADAR (A1 Liga) - KK Zadar saw a comfortable double-digit first half lead waste away but kept their poise and came through late in the game to beat defending champions Cibona 77-72 and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

The result means that Zadar can win their third title by completing a sweep in Zagreb on Saturday.

The home side raced out to a 40-26 lead by halftime of Game 2 and looked well on their way to an easy win.

However, Jamont Gordon and Marko Thomas broke from their shooting slumps and got the hot hand to give Cibona a much-needed scoring punch that saw them cut the deficit to 56-49 by the end of the third period.

The pair kept it going in the final frame as Gordon tied the game at 66 and then Thomas put the visitors in front 70-66 with three minutes left to play.

But Zadar weren't done just yet and Rok Stipcevic scored seven points in an 11-2 run to close the game for the final score.

Tomislav Ruzic had a team-best 22 points for Zadar, while Stipceviv finished with 15 and also handed out six assists. Hrvoje Peric did a bang-up job inside, scoring eight points and hauling in 12 rebounds.

Gordon recorded a game-high 25 points and Tomas added 23.

FIBA