SC Derby’s basketball players kicked off their away match against Zadar in the 18th round of the AdmiralBet ABA League with a spectacular start, hitting three three-pointers and establishing a 9:0 lead.

The beginning was encouraging, prompting the home team to call a timeout after just 1 minute and 40 seconds. Following that, virtually all the momentum in the “Krešimir Ćosić” hall shifted to Zadar.

Without Zoran Nikolić, Derby faced its 12th defeat (71:58), ending a brief streak of two victories. Nonetheless, they have little to regret, as Zadar’s performance, led by Danijel Jusup, showed dominance for nearly 35 minutes.

The “Students” managed only one two-pointer out of 26 attempts in the first 12 and a half minutes (a shot made by Zoran Vučeljić in the second quarter, narrowing the score to 21:18). They primarily sought to score from beyond the three-point line, a trend highlighted in the opening moments of the final quarter when Zadar surged ahead by 17 points at 59:42.

With 90 seconds remaining and a score of 66:56, SC Derby was gearing up for a counterattack when Nikola Pavlićević’s attempted pass to Luka Bogavac went out of bounds.

Andrija Grbović contributed 12 points (including three three-pointers), Erik Neal added 10 points and five assists, while Bogavac, David Mirković, and Emir Hadžibegović each scored eight.

For Zadar, Montenegrin national team player Vladimir Mihailović was the standout with 11 points.

ZADAR – SC DERBI 71:58 (19:15, 20:15, 16:12, 16:16)

Zadar – “Krešimir Ćosić” Hall. Attendance: 3,000. Officials: Uroš Nikolić, Uroš Obrknežević, Radoš Arsenijević.

Zadar: MIHAILOVIĆ 11 (2-2), VOL 12 (4-2), Klarica 20 (1-0), PROLETA 8, Žganec, Mazalin 12 (6-2), Dundović, RAMLJAK (2-0), GILBERT 8 (2-2), Torbarina.

SC Derby: Sudar, NIL 10, Pavlićević 2, Andjušić 4, Bogdanović 2, HADŽIBEGOVIĆ 8 (3-1), Vučeljić 2, GRBOVIC 12 (4-3), Drobnjak 2 (2-2), Todorović, BOGAVAC 8 (3-3), MIRKOVIĆ 8.

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