“Radonjic Outshines Mitrovic: Marko Simonovic’s Impressive Performance”
Marko Simonović guided Bahçeşehir to the Eurocup semi-finals, Photo: Eurocup
The clash between Montenegrin coaches Dejan Radonjić and Zvezdan Mitrović ended in favor of Radonjić’s side as Istanbul Bahčeşehir triumphed over Cedevita-Olimpija (85:81) at the “Sinan Erdem Dom”, securing a spot in the Eurocup semi-finals.
Cedevita-Olimpija dominated for more than 30 minutes, boasting a maximum lead of 19 points at 30:11. However, in the final quarter, Bahçeşehir surged with a 14:0 run, tightening their defense, flipping the game on its head, and sealing the victory. This match marked Radonjić’s second win against Mitrović’s teams out of three encounters.
This marks Bahçeşehir’s first-ever advancement to the Eurocup semi-finals, credited largely to Marko Simonović, who delivered a stellar performance, igniting his team in the second quarter when the “dragons” held a significant advantage.
Meanwhile, Cedevita-Olimpija wrapped up its season in Europe. It was a notable campaign, as it was the first time in three years that the Ljubljana-based team reached the quarter-finals of the tournament.
The match began with Bahçeşehir taking an early lead of 3:0, but Cedevita-Olimpija answered strongly. They executed a 17:0 run and played solid defense, causing issues for the Turkish team in their attack, resulting in a 17:3 lead after Glas hit a three-pointer.
The impressive Tasić countered Simonović’s efforts with six consecutive points, and after an additional free throw, the “dragons” led 41:26, heading into halftime with an eight-point advantage at 46:38.
Throughout the third quarter, Radonjić’s squad stayed within a single-digit deficit, and with new points from Simonović, they inched closer to only a point away at 55:54.
Cedevita-Olimpija, however, responded strongly, finishing the third with a 10:2 run, leading by nine points at 65:56.
The “Dragons” maintained their nine-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, with Radović’s three-pointer bringing the score to 68:59.
Following this, Bahçeşehir found their rhythm as Cedevita-Olimpija went nearly five minutes without scoring. The Istanbul team capitalized, executing a 14:0 run to take control at 75:69.
At that point, it became evident that Cedevita-Olimpija would struggle to mount a comeback, and Smith sealed the game with a three-pointer two minutes from time, extending the lead to 79:73.
Marko Simonović was paramount in Bahçeşehir’s victory, contributing 20 points, four rebounds, one assist, three steals, and an index of 27.
Cavanaugh added 14 points, while Korkmaz contributed 10.
For Cedevita-Olimpija, Tasić led the scoring with 14 points. Other double-digit scorers included Jones (12), Robinson (11), Stewart (11), and Nikolić (10).
News