MZT Skopje hosted Tartu Ulikool in the FIBA Europe Cup on Wednesday night, and the visitors snatched a 95-92 victory despite entering with four defeats in their last five outings. And here's the thing — you'd expect a team that bad to fold, but Tartu kept their composure through a tight contest. The hosts took an early lead, but the visitors never let the game drift out of reach.
What stood out was Tartu's shooting from beyond the arc. They drained ten three-pointers from twenty-nine attempts, compared with MZT's seven from twenty-six. To be fair, the hosts had more rebounds — thirty-one to twenty-six — and more steals, eight to six, but they couldn't convert those defensive efforts into stops when it mattered. The visitors' field goal percentage told the real story: thirty-seven made baskets from sixty-six shots against thirty-two from the same number of attempts.
MZT's recent form had been uneven. They'd beaten KK Kozuv Gevgelija 81-73 on Monday, but before that came losses to Iraklis Saloniki and two defeats to KK Madzari in May. Tartu's run was worse — only one win in their last five, including heavy defeats against Rigas Zelji and Dziki Warszawa. By then, both sides were looking to build momentum, and the visitors did it away from home.
The assist numbers reveal where the ball movement went. Tartu recorded twenty-five assists to MZT's fifteen, suggesting better team play in the second half. MZT relied more on individual efforts, which cost them when Tartu's shooters found their rhythm. The hosts committed thirteen turnovers to the visitors' fourteen, so ball security wasn't the issue — it was execution.
Free throws proved decisive. MZT attempted twenty-seven and made twenty-one, while Tartu took fourteen and converted eleven. Those extra attempts came from fouls — MZT committed seventeen personal fouls to Tartu's twenty-two — but the visitors made them count on the line. And here's the thing about these narrow games: the team that capitalises on free opportunities usually finishes on top.
Tartu now sit third in the European Cup table after six games, with two wins and four defeats. The gap at the top remains unclear, but this result gives them something to build on. MZT remain in the mix, but they'll need to find more cohesion — twenty-five assists is a lot to give up when you're competing at this level.
