In Valencia to break the losing streak

Cedevita Olimpija will face Valencia in Round 8 of the 7DAYS EuroCup in La Fonteta on Tuesday at 20.45, as the Dragons will try to cut the losing streak of five games in the European competition.

Valencia Basket returns to action after a one-week hiatus to face Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana on Tuesday. Valencia (4-2), which had its Round 7 game postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, will try to keep pace with the leaders in Group B with a fourth straight win. Valencia is 2-1 at home this season and lost on Sunday at home in the Spanish League with a nearly-full squad minus Coach Penarroya.

Cedevita Olimpija (2-5) has hit a rough patch. After winning its first two games of the season, it has suffered five straight losses, three of which have been on the road. These teams meet for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign when Valencia won twice in the regular season.

Two of the premier players from Slovenia and long-time national team teammates Klemen Prepelic and Jaka Blazic will meet in this game. Prepelic is Valencia Basket’s leading scorer with 15.4 points per game and Blazic is second on Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana with 14.6 points per game.

Blazic, however, has better periphery numbers with 41.7% shooting on three-pointers, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game for a PIR of 16.7, while Prepelic has been worth an 11.6 PIR thanks to 38.9% three-point shooting, 1.4 boards and 3.6 assists. The meeting of these old friends and great competitors is a true marquee matchup.

STATEMENTS AHEAD OF THE GAME:

Jurica Golemac, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija:
“We are definitely facing one of the most difficult tours in this group. Valencia, along with Virtus, is also one of the main favorites to win the 7DAYS EuroCup title. The team consists of more than a dozen players who are of exceptional quality, so Tuesday’s match will be a very good test for us. We need to show a better performance than in the last match, we must not allow our competitors to score easy points. Individual responsibility must be at a high level, but at the same time we have to throw ouselves for every ball.”

Jaka Blažič, captain of Cedevita Olimpija:
“We are in Valencia, where we will have a demanding game against a team that is made up to reach the very top of the 7DAYS EuroCup. We are aware that this is a club with a long tradition, which has achieved many successes in its history. We have a difficult match ahead of us, and we still some time to prepare for Tuesday’s match, but we want to play a good match that will be at the level of our quality.”

Yogi Ferrell, player of Cedevita Olimpija:
“We’re going up against such a great team as Valencia, which plays hard, and has been playing together for a while. We’re just going to go on the court and try to match their energy. It’s going to be a hostile environment. The biggest thing for us is to go on the court and play together.”

7DAYS EUROCUP, GROUP B, ROUND 8

La Fonteta (Valencia, Spain), Tuesday, December 21, at 20.45:
VALENCIA BASKET – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA

STANDINGS: