Dramatic win for Rilski in the last seconds against BC Timisoara

Rilski Sportist started the 2011/2012 season in the EUROHOLD Balkan League with a dramatic win. The 2009 BIBL champs upset Romanian side BC Timisoara, who made their debut in the competition, beating them 80:78, as the game was decided in the very last moments.
 
Stanislav Vaklinov and Bogdan Popescu exchanged one basket each for 2:2, and the score remained tied in the first three minutes of the game, before Zlatko Jovanovic gave Timisoara a 2:5 advantage, after scoring a three. It was Timisoara leading in the following minutes, as Rilski stayed close, but couldn′t take the lead. The Romanian side had their biggest lead so far - 9:14 with about two minutes to go in the first. Rilski made a 6-1 run, which tied the game at 15:15. Bogdan Boev gave his team the lead for the first time tonight - 18:16 with a three in the closing seconds of the first period. However after a magnificient three by Zlatko Cuic, who scored from almost full-court range, Timisoara had a 18:19 lead after 10 minutes.
 
Rilski started the second quarter really strong, as at first they tied the score, and then they got the lead. The home side made a 14-6 run in the opening five minutes of the second quarter, which put them ahead 32:25 with 4:52 left in the half. Timisoara responded with a basket by Nenad Markovic and a three-pointer by Ivan Siriscevic, which cut their deficit to just two - 32:30. The visitors regained the lead after two free-throws made by Ivan Siriscevic - 33:34, as after that they extended it to 35:38. Branko Mirkovic scored a three-pointer with the buzzer of the second quarter to tie the score at 38:38 halfway through the game.
 
Timisoara scored the first points in the second half, extending their lead to 38:44. The Romanian team kept their advantage in the following minutes, but Rilski Sportist wasn′t giving up and erased the margin down to 47:49 after a basket by George Jovanovic, before breaking ahead 52:51 with 5 minutes left in the quarter. The lead changed three more times until the end of the quarter, and it was BC Timisoara who was ahead after 30 minutes of play - 55:58.
 
Branko Cuic opened the score in the fourth quarter, extending Timisoara′s lead to 55:60. Bogdan Boev and Filip Vukosavjevic got Rilski closer in the following moments - 59:60, before Timisoara once again made their lead more comfortable. Dominque Archie and Robert Sarovic scored for 61:67. Mirkovic got Rilski closer, scorign for 67:68 with less than 5 minutes to go. It was a show by Dominique Archie in the following minutes. The American scored a three, made a steal and scored another basket, along with a three by Sarovic, in order for Timisoara to have their biggest lead so far - 69:77 with 2.45 to go.
 
Filip Vukosavljevic decreased the lead to 71:77, and Rosen Barchovski took a time-out with 1.31 left. After that Vukosavljevic scored one free-throw for 72:77. Cuic missed a shot for two points, and Rilski′s captain Bogdan Boev decreased it to 75:77 after a three. Zlatko Jovanovic missed two free-throws with 33 seconds left, and Branko Mirkovic made two on the other side, tying the game at 77:77. Branko Cuic made one free-throw for 77:78, but in the next offense Rilski moved the ball great and Martin Marinov was left wide open in the corner, and gave his team an 80:77 lead with 1.5 seconds left. Bogdan Boev blocked Robert Sarovic′s shot in the last second and gave his team the win.
 
Branko Mirkovic led Rilski with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Filip Vukosavljevic landed a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Bogdan Boev and Martin Marinov added 11 points each, as Marinov scored the game-winning three, and Boev blocked a shot in the last second.
 
Dominique Archie scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots for Timisoara. Robert Sarovic scored 15 points, while Ivan Siriscevic and Zlatko Jovanovic added 11 points each in the losing effort.