Dragons were not far from winning in Las Palmas

Cedevita Olimpija was defeated 90:82 after a tight and exciting game against Herbalife Gran Canaria. Dragons are staying in third place in the 7DAYS EuroCup Group D with four wins and three losses. 

After a nice winning streak, Cedevita Olimpija lost a game against Herbalife Gran Canaria. In Round 8 of the 7DAYS EuroCup, the Dragons recorded their third loss of the 2020/21 European season. The game in Las Palmas finished with a score of 90:80 for the home team which qualified for the Top 16 Round.

Jacob Wiley, one of the main players of the Canaries team, and AJ Slaughter, their most recent signing, were both out of the squad for Gran Canaria. Dragon’s Head Coach Jurica Golemac also prepared a special surprise for this game – Rok Radović started the game for the first time this season.

The first quarter was marked by scoring runs of both teams which exchanged the lead multiple times. Dragons earned their biggest lead of the game in the 13th minute when they were up by seven. Kendrick Perry carried the biggest offensive burden in the first half, scoring 15 points, helped by Jaka Blažič who scored 10 in the first half. On the other end, opponents were spread their scoring across the board. Herbalife Gran Canaria managed to collect 10 assists more than Dragons, although they were leading only by a point at the half time break.

A similar basketball performance took place in Gran Canaria Arena in the second half as well. After a slow start by the Ljubljana team in the third quarter, Jurca Golemac’s squad regrouped and were down only by one point in the 27th minute. But Dragons could not find the full recipe for the turnaround this time. With two minutes left to play they came close, trailing only by two points. However, at the final sound of the buzzer, the scoreboard was showing an eight-point lead for the Canaries. The team from Stožice lost the rebound battle and dished out 14 assists less than their opponents.

Numbers that the Dragons can build on as they look forward to their upcoming games – number of steals and turnovers. Cedevita Olimpija had seven steals (Gran Canaria only two) and recorded five turnovers less than the Spanish Endesa League representatives.

The top scorer for the team in green and orange was Kendrick Perry who added seven assists to his 25 points. Jaka Blažič continued his great scoring streak and finished with 22 points. Rion Brown added 12 points, Jarrod Jones had seven, Mikael Hopkins recorded six points alongside ten rebounds. Alen Hodžić did not play because of ankle pain after the injury he picked up against Borac, because of their health issues Roko Leni Ukić and Žiga Dimec did not travel to Las Palmas

The team will return to Ljubljana on Friday where they will play their last game before the break which is caused by the new qualification tournament for EuroBasket 2020. In the eight-round of ABA League, Igokea will face the Dragons in Arena Stožica at 19:00 on Sunday.

STATEMENTS AFTER THE GAME

Jurica Golemac, trener Cedevite Olimpije:
“Well-deserved win by Gran Canaria, we were not at our best. We were missing some players in the rotation that’s why the freshness and the intensity were not there. We did not take care of the ball as we did in the last few games. Because of the opponents’ height, we had trouble rebounding but we fought and had a chance to win it till the last minute. We will use the break to analyze our mistakes and get better physically. There are still three rounds left till the end of the 7DAYS EuroCup group stage and we are still not qualified for the next stage, that’s why we have to go into our next games with full intensity.”

Kendrick Perry, igralec Cedevite Olimpije: 
“We had opportunities but we had a bit too many mental lapses in the first and the second half. Against a good team when you make mistakes like this they are going to make you pay. We just got to refocus, get back to the drawing board, and get ready for the next one. The competition is not yet finished, we still have games left to play, we still have a chance to get a good seeding for the top 16. We just got to stay locked in, even though we got a break coming up we just got to take the care of what we got to take the care of.”

7DAYS EUROCUP, ROUND 8

Gran Canaria Arena (Las Palmas, Španija), Wednesday, November 18:
HERBALIFE GRAN CANARIA – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA 90:82 (16:16, 25:24, 27:24, 22:18)
Cedevita Olimpija: Radović, Perry 25 (7 assists), Hopkins 6 (10 rebounds), Duščak 1, Murić 5, Blažič 22, Brown 12 (6 rebounds), Hodžić, Jones 7, Ščuka, Marinković 4.

STATS

GALLERY

STANDINGS