Trepc claimed a 78-69 victory over Split in the FIBA Europe Cup on Wednesday evening, moving away from the bottom of the standings despite remaining winless. The result extends the visitors' winless run to six games, though they finally showed they could compete on the road. Split had looked comfortable in recent outings, winning four of their last five before this one, but couldn't hold on when it mattered.
And here's the thing about the statistics — Trepc shot better from everywhere. They made 29 field goals compared to Split's 24, and seven three-pointers against four. The visitors also grabbed 34 rebounds to Split's 25, which gave them the extra possessions they needed to close out the game. Split's 13 turnovers cost them more than once, but by then it was too late to mount a comeback.
What this means in the table is that Trepc stay in fourth place with zero points from six games. That's an awkward position — they've played enough to know they're not ready, but not enough to know what they need. Split meanwhile drop a spot if there was one to drop, though the standings barely move with these results.
Split's recent form has been solid — they beat Dubrava Zagreb 86-62 and Opava 74-68 before this loss. Trepc came into this after losing to Prometeas Patras 91-77, so both sides had something to prove. The visitors worked the channels better tonight, found openings Split's defense didn't cover. To be fair, Split were at home and should have had more, but the game slipped away after the break. The stadium fell silent when Trepc pulled out their biggest lead, and Split never really found the rhythm to chase.
