Dragons clinch a last-minute win

The basketball players of Cedevita Olimpija deservedly defeated the basketball players of Budućnost VOLI in the second round of the Top 16 stage of the 7DAYS EuroCup in Ljubljana’s Stožice, with the score 74:71.

Arena Stožice remains an unconquerable fortress in the 7DAYS EuroCup matches in the 2020/21 season. After an equal and even match, the basketball players of Cedevita Olimpija broke the resistance of the visiting team and celebrated the victory with 74:71. After two games played in the Group G of the 7DAYS EuroCup, the Ljubljana team record currently stands at one win and one defeat.

The weight of the European showdown between the two regional rivals was already felt in the opening minutes of the match. The Dragons, who opened the match with a three-pointer by Jarrod Jones, led most of the first quarter. Budućnost VOLI took the initiative just before the start of the second quarter and remained in the lead until halftime, when the scoreboard in the Arena Stožice light up the score 33:34. In the second half of the match, none of the teams managed a run to escape the rivals. Dragons controlled the rebounding, and they made up for the lower field goal percentage with shots from the distance. In a tense finale, Jurica Golemec’s squad kept calmer nerves and after a triple by Edo Murić, they took the lead in the last minute, which they did not let go of until the sound of the last buzzer.

Kendrick Perry lead the team with 16 points and 10 assists. Edo Murić also scored 16, grabbing six rebounds along the way. Jarrod Jones followed with 14 points, scoring four three-pointers and recording six rebounds. Jaka Blažič stopped at ten points, and Mikael Hopkins added his share to the Dragons’ victory with seven points and nine rebounds.

The teams will meet again in less than 48 hours. On Thursday, Cedevita Olimpija and Budućnost VOLI will settle their debts in the Round 5 of the ABA League. The match in Arena Stožice will tip-off at 19:00. Live coverage of the game.

Jurica Golemac, Head Coach of Cedevita Olimpija:
“Congratulations to the boys for a well-deserved victory. We didn’t give up throughout the game. We were physical and fighting, which we haven’t shown many times up to now. We proved to ourselves that we can also play against a team like Budućnost VOLI in this way. Keeping such a team to 71 points is a big deal. The second round is behind us and a new match awaits us on Thursday, so there is no time to celebrate. It is not possible to play with just one or two players. We worked all week on the goal of including the other guys to add their contribution as well. All nine players, as well as those who did not get the playing time, contributed to this victory.”

Jarrod Jones, Player of Cedevita Olimpija:
“It was definitely an important win for us. After the last round we knew we had to come and put in a strong effort to show that we are serious in this competition. It doesn’t stop here. It’s a good win but we have to come back to the drawing board and get ready for the next one. We should not get to excited. From the beginning of the season the conversation around this team is that we want to go as far as possible in this competition. We know Budućnost VOLI are a good team and we have to make adjustments  next time we see them. Tonight we can enjoy the win.”

7DAYS EUROCUP, GROUP G, TOP 16, ROUND 16

Arena Stožice (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Tuesday, January 19:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – BUDUĆNOST VOLI 74:71 (14:16, 19:18, 20:21, 21:16)
Cedevita Olimpija: Radović, Perry 16 (10 assists), Hopkins 7 (9 rebounds), Murić 16 (6 rebounds), Blažič 10, Hodžić 2, Jones 14 (6 rebounds), Dimec 1, Brown 5, Ščuka, Duščak, Rupnik 3.

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