Basket Živinice found their turning point after halftime — and didn’t let it go. Behind a game-defining third quarter, Živinice beat Zrinjski Mostar 73-67 on April 4, 2026 at Sportska dvorana Živinice, improving from a 7-14 record in the 2025-2026 Prvenstvo BiH season.
Game flow: dead even early, decisive after the break
The opening 10 minutes were a mirror: 23-23 after the first quarter. Zrinjski’s offense then slowed to a crawl in the second, scoring 10 points, but Živinice didn’t fully capitalize — edging the period 12-10 to take a narrow 35-33 halftime lead.
The game swung coming out of the locker room. Živinice dropped 22 points in the third quarter while holding Zrinjski to 13, turning a two-point halftime edge into a 57-46 advantage entering the fourth. Zrinjski made the push late with a 21-point final period, but Živinice had already banked the margin they needed, closing out the six-point win.
Stat of the night: playmaking gap
The clearest separation in the box score came in ball movement. Živinice finished with 14 assists to Zrinjski’s 5 — a gap that tracked with the third-quarter breakaway and suggested cleaner execution when the game tightened.
Turning point
With the game hanging on a one-possession margin at halftime, the third quarter became the hinge. Živinice’s 22-13 advantage in that frame was the difference: it forced Zrinjski into chase mode for the final 10 minutes and allowed the home team to absorb the late fourth-quarter scoring surge without surrendering the lead.
What it means going forward
For Živinice, the win is a momentum grab after entering with a LLLWW form line — proof they can win a possession game by manufacturing offense through structure and passing. For Zrinjski, who came in LWWWW, the loss is a reminder that their margin shrinks when the offense stalls for a full quarter; the fourth-quarter rally was real, but the third-quarter hole was too deep to climb out of.