A new European challenge in the Latvian capital

Cedevita Olimpija will visit Riga Zelli at Xiaomi Arena in Riga on Wednesday at 18:00 Slovenian time. The third-round clash of the BKT EuroCup regular season will give the Dragons another opportunity to claim their first European win of the 2026/27 campaign against a Latvian side that has already made an impression in its debut … Continued

Cedevita Olimpija faces its second European road game of the new season. Following a narrow defeat in Burgos (81–85) and a home loss to Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem (64–75), head coach Zvezdan Mitrović’s team will look for its first Group A victory in the Latvian capital. The game in Riga will be the second of three consecutive away fixtures for Cedevita Olimpija. Last Saturday, the Dragons suffered a narrow defeat in Široki Brijeg (69–70), with a visit to Igokea m awaiting them this coming weekend.

The trip to Riga offers the Ljubljana side an opportunity to take a step forward in European competition. Their opponents have started the 2026/27 season in excellent form and have already shown in the EuroCup that they can punish mistakes and remain dangerous until the final seconds.

TV COVERAGE:

The game will be broadcast live on Šport TV 1. Pregame studio coverage will begin at 17:15 Slovenian time.

PREGAME QUOTES:

“We arrived in Riga on Monday for the second game of our road trip. It was a somewhat long day because of the journey, so our focus will be on preparing for the game and recovering from a very painful defeat in Široki Brijeg. Riga is certainly a quality team, as it showed by beating Tortona and only losing to German side Rostock Seawolves in the final seconds. It also enjoys strong support from its fans at home, so we are expecting a tough game,” said Cedevita Olimpija head coach Zvezdan Mitrović ahead of the game in Riga. “An important question for me is the condition of the players returning to the team. They were not fully ready in the last few games, and their extended time away from the court also affected how well they fitted into our system. We will see whether they are in better shape now.”

“We came to Riga to win. We are facing a hungry team that will want to make the most of its home-court advantage. We still have things to improve, but the important thing is to play with plenty of energy and give everything we have. If we approach the game that way, we will give ourselves a good chance. We need to get our first win of the season as soon as possible. Every game matters, so we have to take it one step at a time. We need to put last week’s games behind us and focus on Riga and the opponent in front of us,” said Jordan Gainey, who made his first official appearance for Cedevita Olimpija in Široki Brijeg on Saturday after an injury had kept him sidelined for a month. “Unfortunately, we came up short, so we need to keep working on the things we can improve. Still, it felt good to be back on the court. I felt a little tired after the injury, but I am working to find my rhythm again and get back into shape. I will be ready on Wednesday.”

GAME PREVIEW:

Cedevita Olimpija will look to end its losing run in Riga after suffering a 69–70 defeat in Široki Brijeg on Saturday in its first regional road game of the season. The Dragons led by 11 points in the fourth quarter but could not hold on to their advantage, with Tayler Persons scoring the decisive basket for the hosts in the closing seconds. The Ljubljana side now has one win and one loss from its two appearances in the AdmiralBet ABA League. Matthew Hurt led Cedevita Olimpija in scoring at Pecara with 24 points, Rihards Lomažs added 13, and Jayce Johnson collected 13 rebounds alongside his five points.

Wednesday’s opponents, Riga Zelli, have made an excellent start to the new season. They have won all four of their games in the Latvian–Estonian League and remain unbeaten at 4–0, while their debut BKT EuroCup campaign has opened with one win and one loss (1–1): they beat Tortona 86–84 at home before narrowly losing 86–87 in Rostock. They confirmed their strong form on Friday with a 94–74 road win over Tartu. The Latvian side won the fourth quarter 24–11 to comfortably extend its winning streak in the regional league. Tony Perkins scored 22 points, Martynas Varnas added 18, Rolands Šulcs finished with 12, and Isaac Johnson contributed ten. The Dragons will therefore face a team that has won five of its first six games across the two competitions.

The team from the Latvian capital is making its first BKT EuroCup appearance in 2026/27 and marked its arrival with a victory. It defeated Baglietto Derthona Tortona 86–84 at home in the opening round, with American guard Benjamin Shungu scoring the winning basket just before time expired. He finished with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Tyler Wahl added 18 points.

Riga’s second European game also came down to a tense finish. An 86–87 road defeat to Rostock Seawolves left the Latvian side with one win and one loss after two rounds. Tony Perkins stood out in Germany with 35 points, while Martynas Varnas contributed 24.

The team is coached by Lithuanian Rokas Kondratavičius. Alongside Shungu, Perkins, Wahl and Varnas, Isaac Johnson is another player the Ljubljana side will need to watch closely after he scored 12 points against Tortona. Riga made 12 three-pointers in its first European game and 13 in its second, underlining its threat from beyond the arc. After two games in the new European season, Riga leads the competition in three-pointers made.

Rihards Lomažs’s return to his home country will add a special dimension to the trip. The Latvian international will take the court in Riga wearing Cedevita Olimpija’s colours as he looks to help the Dragons secure their first European victory of the new season.

BKT EUROCUP – REGULAR SEASON, GROUP A, ROUND 3

Xiaomi Arena (Riga, Latvia), Wednesday, October 14, at 19:00 local time (18:00 Slovenian time):
RIGA ZELLI – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (Live on Šport TV 1)

GROUP A STANDINGS

LOOKING AHEAD:

This will be the second of three consecutive road games for the Ljubljana side. After the game in Riga, the team will briefly return to Ljubljana on Thursday before travelling to Laktaši on Friday, where it will face Igokea m on Saturday at 19:00. Next Wednesday, the Dragons will host Le Mans in the EuroCup for an evening featuring the club’s Old School Night. Senior citizens will be offered special ticket prices, and tickets are already available to all supporters at vstopnice.olimpija.com.