BRATISLAVA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Levice Patriots defeated Spisska Nova Ves 92-79 on Saturday, earning their fourth straight victory in the Slovak premier basketball league.
The visitors started strong and built a 13-4 lead but Levice cut the deficit before the halftime and even led by one going into the locker rooms.
In the match, hosts Patriots managed to sink 13 three-pointers to snap their opponents' three-game winning streak. Former Spisska Nova Ves player Viktor Juricek led the scoring with 30 points for Levice and added 10 rebounds to help his team stay in the hunt for pole position in the rankings, occupied by Inter Bratislava since the beginning of the season.
In a battle of two team from opposite ends of the league, Bratislava traveled to the south to battle the struggling Komarno. The home team managed to keep up with the visitors for the first 30 minutes but the squad of coach Aleksandar Vrzina started losing its breath in the final stretch and lost 97-74 in the end.
Komarno's American duo Miles Bowman Jr. (22 points, 8 rebounds), Austin Williams (20 points, 15 rebounds) carried their team offensively but Bratislava could count on an efficient bench and strength in numbers.
Handlova was waiting two long years and nine months to triumph in the traditional local derby against Prievidza and finally got its wish, winning 79-74 in the away game.
Prievidza was up by a respectable 11 points at halftime but the visitors ramped up their performance, started sinking tough shots and after defeating Lucenec in the last round of the Slovak Basketball League, managed to conquer another championship contender. Handlova's offensive efforts were conducted by Aleksandar Radukic from Bosnia and Herzegovina who added 9 rebounds and 2 assists to his 29 points.
Fourth-ranked Zilina lost its fourth match in a row, falling 98-81 in Lucenec on Saturday. The visitors stayed within striking distance only for the first 15 minutes. Lucenec played fast and strong offensively, converting on many important three-point attempts, gaining a solid 17-point lead at the end.
