BRATISLAVA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Inter Bratislava's tremendous 12-game winning streak in Slovakia's premier basketball league came to a grinding halt on Saturday when fifth-ranked Zilina became only the third team to defeat the reigning SBL champion.
After a successful turnaround in the previous round where Zilina erased Prievidza's 21-point lead, coach Ivan Kurilla's team managed to take the coveted scalp of the ranking's leader.
The home team defeated Bratislava 77-75 thanks to an aggressive defensive effort and successful three-point shooting, which helped them lead by eight points at half time and denying Inter the chance to get into the rhythm and cut the deficit.
The Levice Patriots took the second spot in the standings from Lucenec after winning their fourth consecutive game, defeating Svit on road 92-79.
The sixth-ranked home team managed to keep pace with Levice until the last period but a brief lapse of concentration resulted in conceding two quick three-pointers and losing the period by 15 points.
Elsewhere, fourth-ranked Prievidza's strong second and third periods laid the foundation for its 78-69 triumph in Spisska Nova Ves.
The home team was in a good mood after snapping its seven-game losing streak in the previous round but fell back to the bottom of the rankings after the upset by Prievidza, which let go of its coach Tihomir Bujan and hired the Croatian-born Krunoslav Krajnovic a couple of days prior to the match.
Krajnovic led his new team to victory on his debut, relying on dominant centers under the rim and a better shooting percentage. The home team's go-to player Eric Nottage put on a solid performance with 22 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
Komarno is back in the game for a spot in the playoffs after defeating Handlova in a close 101-98 match, taking the eighth spot in the standings from Spisska Nova Ves.
Komarno's Miles Bowman put on almost a one-man show and led the 25th round's offensive statistics with 34 points and 23 rebounds, aided well by his teammate Nebojsa Dukic and his 21 points.
Handlova managed to erase a 14-point deficit at the end but failed to convert on a game-tying shot shortly before the final buzzer.
