Dragons host FMP at Stožice on Saturday
Cedevita Olimpija will host FMP at Arena Stožice on Saturday at 17.00 in round six of the first phase of the AdmiralBet ABA League. After a narrow defeat in Thessaloniki, the Ljubljana side will be chasing their third regional win of the season, while the Belgrade team arrives with the same record of two wins … Continued
Cedevita Olimpija will host FMP at Arena Stožice on Saturday at 17.00 in round six of the first phase of the AdmiralBet ABA League. After a narrow defeat in Thessaloniki, the Ljubljana side will be chasing their third regional win of the season, while the Belgrade team arrives with the same record of two wins and two losses. Stožice will come alive with a Halloween atmosphere on Saturday. Tickets are already available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.
After Wednesday’s trip to Thessaloniki, Cedevita Olimpija returns to the home court of Arena Stožice, where they will host Belgrade’s FMP on Saturday at 17.00. Both teams have collected two wins and two losses so far in Group A of the regional league. The Dragons opened the regional season with an 89:76 win over Cibona at Tivoli, lost 69:70 in Široki Brijeg, beat Igokea m:tel 93:81 in Laktaši, and last Saturday fell 81:95 to Budućnost VOLI at Stožice.
Miha Cerkvenik and Jayce Johnson, who missed the trip to Thessaloniki due to illness and an ankle injury respectively, rejoined team practice on Friday. Cameron Houindo and Brandon Murray remain sidelined.
To avoid congestion in the Stožice garage, we advise all fans to set off for the game in good time – at least 60 minutes earlier than usual – and to use public transport. With a game ticket, you can ride Ljubljana Passenger Transport (LPP) buses free of charge from three hours before tip-off until three hours after the final buzzer.
If you are coming by car, please park in the car parks near Stožice (Žale I, Žale II, Žale III, Žale IV, Žale V, Kranjčeva and Gosarjeva). The garage next to the arena will be open only until its limited number of spaces is filled.
TICKETS:
Tickets for Saturday’s game are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com, through Eventim Slovenija and at all Petrol service stations. Schools, associations and social work centres can obtain free tickets for their groups by applying through an online form.
Arrive early and join us in the fan zone from 16.00. The box office in front of the arena and the arena doors will open at 16.00. The NLB ‘Fast Entry’ lane will be open once again, giving fans who show an NLB bank card quicker access to the arena.
TV BROADCAST:
The game will be broadcast live on Arena Sport 1 Premium. Studio coverage begins at 16.30.
GAME NIGHT – HALLOWEEN:
Saturday evening at Stožice will be dedicated to Halloween and designed above all for families, children and young fans.
FAN ZONE
A basketball hoop and cornhole will get fans warmed up before the game, and Spar Slovenija will host a basketball challenge. The youngest fans can enjoy colouring pages, the Heka kids’ corner and the wheel of fortune. Fans will also be able to make their own banners and use them to support the Dragons from the stands.
The Halloween spirit will come to life with a themed photo backdrop, a “Trick or Treat” corner where children who correctly answer a question about Cedevita Olimpija will receive sweets, face painting and a pumpkin display. You are welcome to bring your own carved pumpkin with a basketball or club motif – we will pick the most original one. Oli will roam the arena dressed as a ghost, and masked volunteers will add to the spooky atmosphere. The official club shop will be open, and ČeWapi will take care of food in front of the arena.
DURING THE GAME
The fun will continue inside the arena. Between the first and second quarters, Spar’s free-throw contest will take place, followed at halftime by the Triglav half-court shot. Everyone who comes to the game in costume is invited to compete at halftime for the title of best costume of the night, with the winner chosen by the crowd’s applause. Between the third and fourth quarters, the Cedevita puzzle will round off the programme.
Come early, dress up in the Halloween spirit and help us create a truly spooky atmosphere!
PRE-GAME QUOTES:
“This is a very important game for us. FMP have a very interesting team that opened the season with a win over Crvena zvezda, proving they can go toe to toe with any opponent. Our opponents play one game a week, while we only got back from the road on Thursday evening, so we had just half a day to prepare. A tough and demanding game awaits us, and as against every team, we will have to give our maximum if we want to win. I hope that after a run of injuries we will be able to play with at least one of our big men, so we can match FMP’s size inside,” said Cedevita Olimpija head coach Zvezdan Mitrović ahead of Saturday’s game.
“FMP are a very good team that has picked up some important wins this season. They have two excellent guards, but they are dangerous at every position and always looking for scoring opportunities. I expect a fast and very competitive game between two quality teams. We will step onto the court with a lot of energy and fight as we always do,” said Jordan Gainey ahead of Saturday’s game. Gainey scored seven points against Budućnost and added five points, three rebounds and three assists against Aris on Wednesday.
GAME PREVIEW:
FMP, coached by Saša Nikitović, started the regional season with a statement win. In round two, at their home arena in Železnik, they beat Crvena zvezda Meridianbet 90:89, ending a long losing streak against their city rivals, and a week later they won 79:68 against Krka in Novo mesto. Two defeats followed: Široki TT Kabeli beat them 78:66 in Belgrade, when FMP made just five of 39 three-point attempts, and last Friday they lost 87:95 to Borac Mozzart in Čačak. The hosts built a big lead in the first quarter, winning it 32:19; FMP later closed the gap completely but could not complete the comeback. Jamiya Neal and Marko Kovačević led FMP with 17 points each.
With 18 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, Neal is also the team’s leading scorer and most efficient player. Brandon Rush averages 17.3 points and Kovačević 13 points while shooting 88 percent from the free-throw line, while centre Nikola Gašić is the most prominent presence in the paint with 9.5 rebounds per game. FMP average 80.5 points and 33.8 rebounds.
The Dragons returned from Thessaloniki on Thursday evening, where on Wednesday they lost 73:78 to the still-unbeaten Aris Thessaloniki in round five of the BKT EuroCup regular season. Without head coach Zvezdan Mitrović and four injured or ill players, the Ljubljana team went toe to toe for most of the game with a side aiming for the very top of the EuroCup. They led by a point at halftime (38:39), and the score was level heading into the final quarter (57:57). Aris pulled away by nine points in the closing stages; the Dragons cut the gap to 70:74 with a 5:0 run, but the hosts decided the game in the final minutes.
Matthew Hurt led Cedevita Olimpija with 19 points, Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 14, and Rihards Lomažs and Noah Kirkwood added 12 each. Matthew Morgan was the top scorer for Aris with 18 points, while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl added 13. After five rounds, the Dragons are still looking for their first EuroCup win.
In the regional competition, Matthew Hurt leads the Dragons in scoring with 17.3 points per game on 63.6 percent shooting from the field. Anthony Cowan Jr. averages 11.8 points, Rihards Lomažs 10.8 and Urban Kroflič 10.5. Against Budućnost, Lomažs was the top scorer with 18 points, Hurt added 15 and Kroflič 10.
Since the 2019/20 season, Cedevita Olimpija and FMP have met 15 times in the regional competition, with the Dragons winning ten, including six of eight games in Ljubljana. The teams faced each other in the 2022/23 playoff quarter-finals, when the Ljubljana side won the series 2–1. They last met in January 2025, when the Dragons won 91:58 at Stožice; last season they competed in different groups.
ADMIRALBET ABA LEAGUE – GROUP A, FIRST PHASE, ROUND 6
Arena Stožice (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Saturday, 31 October, 17.00:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – FMP (tickets; live on Arena Sport 1 Premium)
GROUP A STANDINGS:
| # | Team | GP | W | L | PF:PA | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crvena zvezda Meridianbet | 4 | 3 | 1 | 368:339 | 29 | 7 |
| 2 | Budućnost VOLI | 4 | 3 | 1 | 345:324 | 21 | 7 |
| 3 | Borac Mozzart | 4 | 3 | 1 | 365:351 | 14 | 7 |
| 4 | HKK Široki TT Kabeli | 4 | 3 | 1 | 326:314 | 12 | 7 |
| 5 | Cedevita Olimpija | 4 | 2 | 2 | 332:322 | 10 | 6 |
| 6 | Slovan Bratislava | 4 | 2 | 2 | 347:352 | -5 | 6 |
| 7 | FMP | 4 | 2 | 2 | 322:330 | -8 | 6 |
| 8 | Cibona | 4 | 1 | 3 | 351:358 | -7 | 5 |
| 9 | Igokea m:tel | 4 | 1 | 3 | 341:357 | -16 | 5 |
| 10 | Krka | 4 | 0 | 4 | 302:352 | -50 | 4 |
LOOKING AHEAD:
After Saturday’s game, the Dragons will stay at home, as Baglietto Derthona Tortona visits Stožice on Wednesday, 4 November, in round six of the BKT EuroCup regular season. Tickets for the game, which will also feature Student Night (Dijaški večer), are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com. On Saturday, 7 November, at 17.00, the Dragons travel to Čačak to face Borac Mozzart in round seven of the first phase of the AdmiralBet ABA League.
