WABA 2: Tomsic Clutches Up as Ilirija Defeats Sea Stars

In the final match of the WABA 2 tournament in Herceg Novi, Slovenia’s Ilirija secured another hard-fought win, defeating Montenegrin side Sea Stars 83-72. The win capped off a highly successful weekend for the Ljubljana-based club.

The opening minutes saw a highly competitive exchange, with Sea Stars briefly holding an edge. The Montenegrin debutants led 15-14 midway through the first quarter, the last time Ilirija trailed all game. Following that final deficit, Ilirija found their rhythm. Tightening their defense and pushing the pace, Ilirija established a comfortable double-digit lead before the main break, heading into halftime up 42-29.

Despite the structural deficit, Sea Stars refused to back down in the second half. Fueled by heavy scoring from their key players, the hosts consistently chipped away at the gap. Midway through the final period, they put significant pressure on the Slovenian side, shrinking the deficit to a single-digit gap at 73-66.

As momentum swung toward the home crowd, Tina Tomsic took over. She cooled off the furious comeback by scoring a crucial two-pointer, then immediately followed it with two back-to-back three-pointers. This scoring burst pushed the lead out of reach and sealed Ilirija’s victory.

Tina Tomsic finished the match with 16 points and 4 rebounds. Modric contributed 13 points and 7 rebounds. Ilirija also saw double-digit scoring from Sara Dolenc (11 points) and Brina Sedminek (10 points, 8 assists).

For Sea Stars, guard Tatutm Forbes played the entire 40 minutes, leading all scorers with 26 points, alongside 9 assists and 4 rebounds. Vanja Kaludjerovic put up an equally impressive performance, also playing the full 40 minutes to log 24 points, including four made three-pointers. Center Delaney Yarborough dominated the glass with 15 rebounds and 7 points.

The decisive factor in the game lay in Ilirija’s outside shooting and deeper scoring rotation, draining 13 three-pointers at a 39% clip to answer every push by the Montenegrin side.

2026-27 WABA 2 League

Sunday, October 18 (Herceg Novi/SRC Igalo)

Sea Stars-Ilirija 72-83 (20-25, 11-17, 16-16, 25-25)   FULL STATS   FULL GAME VIDEO   GALLERY

Tatum Forbes, Sea Stars:

Ela Modric, Ilirija:

Foto: ZKK Primorje