Cedevita Olimpija Defeat ECE Triglav Kranj in First Preseason Game
Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team opened their preseason campaign on Thursday at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, defeating ECE Triglav Kranj 81:64 in their first preparation game of the summer. After ten days of preparations for the 2026/27 competitive season, Cedevita Olimpija took to the court at Hala Tivoli for their first preseason test. The Dragons came … Continued
Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team opened their preseason campaign on Thursday at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, defeating ECE Triglav Kranj 81:64 in their first preparation game of the summer.
After ten days of preparations for the 2026/27 competitive season, Cedevita Olimpija took to the court at Hala Tivoli for their first preseason test. The Dragons came away with an 81:64 victory over ECE Triglav Kranj. It should be noted that in the fourth quarter, only players from the youth academies of the two clubs were given playing time.
Cedevita Olimpija entered the court at the Home of Slovenian Basketball determined to use the opening preseason game to build chemistry and begin fine-tuning their tactics. The Ljubljana side took a double-digit lead after the opening quarter, and just three minutes into the second quarter, the scoreboard read 32:11 in favor of the reigning Slovenian champions. The Dragons went into halftime with a 21-point advantage (49:28), while the visitors from Kranj managed to reduce the deficit somewhat in the second half.
Maks Ciperle and Matthew Hurt led Cedevita Olimpija in scoring with 13 points apiece. Brandon Murray added 11 points.
The Dragons will play their next preseason game on Sunday, when they will face the Austrian side Kapfenberg Bulls, the reigning Austrian champions, also in Ljubljana.
POST-GAME QUOTES:
Noah Kirkwood, Cedevita Olimpija player:
“We expected there to be a lot of mistakes in the first game because we’re still getting to know each other, figuring out how to play together, and adjusting to a new system and a new team. Our main goal was to show a lot of energy and understand that mistakes are going to be part of the process. The most important thing was how we responded to them. I think we did a good job with that. We’ve been working really hard over the last few days, both on the court and in the weight room, so it was nice to finally play a game and see how all the work we’ve put in translated onto the court. We’re not expecting perfection at this point, so I think it was a good start to our first game.”
PRESEASON GAME
Hala Tivoli (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Thursday, August 27:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – ECE TRIGLAV KRANJ 81:64 (25:11, 24:17, 13:20, 19:16)
Cedevita Olimpija: Murray 11, Cowan Jr. 3 (6 assists), Jagodnik 2, Gainey 8, Can Ustun 6, Houindo 3 (4 rebounds), Blažič 3 (4 rebounds), Stjepanović, Ciperle 13, Pregl, Samba 2, Hurt 13 (5 rebounds), Kirkwood 7 (5 assists), Johnson 6, Matondo 2, Hukić 2.
