High-flying Dragons convincingly beat FMP

The Dragons finished February undefetaed with a 94:86 victory over FMP. Good performance will be Cedevita Olimpija’s source of confidence for Tuesday’s clash with Virtus in the 7DAYS EuroCup.

Jurica Golemec’s squad extended their ABA League win streak. This time, FMP basketball players left the Stožice Arena with their heads bowed, beaten 94:86 by the Cedevita Olimpija team in the Round 19 match. This is the 14th victory in the regional competition for the Ljubljana team.

The first half of the game in Arena Stožice offered an attractive offensive performance of both teams. The spark and extra energy were brought into the Dragons’ game by the off the bench. Along with Kendrick Perry, Rion Brown was the best scorer of the game after 2 quarters with 12 points, while Luka Rupnik collected five assists and four rebounds in six minutes on a floor with a 100% FG. Teamwork with many assists gave the Dragons the lead at halftime with 58:50.

At the beginning of the third quarter, Jurica Golemec’s protégés created the first two-digit lead in the meeting after a series of baskets, which the visiting basketball players only managed to temporarily restrain. Five minutes before the end of the match, the Ljubljana team gained a 16-point advantage after another scoring run. At the end of the match, the team in green-orange jerseys routinely led the match to victory with a final score of 94:86.

The largest share of the scoring load this time rested on the shoulders of Rion Brown, who finished the game with 17 points. He was followed by Jarrod Jones, who added seven rebounds to his 16 points, with captain Jaka Blažič scoring one point less. Alen Hodžić scored his 11 points without missing a shot, and Edo Murić collected six rebounds with 10 points. Luka Rupnik supplied his teammates with eight assists and grabbed six rebounds.

The green-orange troop will continue its strenuous competitive schedule in the coming days. The European basketball spectacle on the floor of the Arena Stožice will be on the program on Tuesday, when the basketball players of Virtus Segafred Bologna will play in Ljubljana. Fans will be able to watch the duel starting at 20:30 in a live TV broadcast on Šport TV 1. After that Dragons will face Rogaška in the Nova KBM League and Borac Čačak in the ABA League.

STATEMENTS AFTER THE GAME

Jurica Golemac, Head Coach of KK Cedevita Olimpija:
“Congratulations to the guys for the win. It was a tough game like we expected. We controlled the flow of the match but allowed our opponents to get back into the game after we went up by 12, 14 and 16 points. We had troubles rebounding and this is an area where we can improve.”

Rion Brown, Player of KK Cedevita Olimpija:
“FMP is a good time while we are trying to get back into the rhythm after the break for the national team. I think we had good bits of performance in the second half. We are working hard and continuing to improve. ABA League is competitive so we can not afford to drop any games, especially at home if we want to finish the season in the Top 4. A tough matchup with Virtus Segafreda Bologna is ahead of us. I think we are a team who can get to the Top 4 in the 7DAYS EuroCup and that is my goal for us.”

ABA LEAGUE, ROUND 19

Arena Stožice (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Saturday, February 27:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – FMP 94:86 (27:22, 31:29, 18:17, 18:18)
Cedevita Olimpija: Radović, Perry 14 (5 assists), Hopkins 8, Murić 10 (6 rebounds), Blažič 15, Hodžić 11, Jones 16 (7 rebounds), Dimec, Brown 17, Ščuka, Duščak, Rupnik 3 (6 rebounds, 8 assists).

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