For the fifth time better than Krka

The players of Cedevita Olimpija defeated Novo mesto’s Krka (99:72) for the fifth time this season on Saturday in the Slovenian derby of the 10th round of the Nova KBM League for the champion.

The Cedevita Olimpija team recorded its second consecutive victory in the 10th round of the Nova KBM League on Saturday. In the Slovenian derby against competitors from the ABA League, the Krka basketball players, the basketball players of the Ljubljana team celebrated the victory with… and in this way overtook Novo mesto for the fifth time this season.

The Krka players closed more dangerously only at the start of the match. In the first quarter, the guests from Novo mesto scored as many as eight consecutive throws for three points and led with 30:24, while in the second quarter the Dragons dominated the home court and took seven points (50:47) to the main break. After the return of both teams from the locker rooms, the basketball players of Cedevita Olimpija continued with a good game, gained an advantage of 75:62 before the last quarter, and then kept Novo mesto at a safe distance and were looking forward to a well-deserved victory.

Rion Brown was the top scorer for the team with 17 points, as six Dragons were in double figures.

After a strenuous rhythm, in which the Dragons have played as many as eight matches in the last 17 days, there is now a two-day break in front of the head coach Jurica Golemac’s squad, and on Tuesday the Ljubljana team will face Mego Soccerbet. Cedevita Olimpija needs a victory in order to maintain their hope for a place in the finals of the regional competition, and at the same time they will secure a place among the top four only with a possible victory of Igokea in the match with Mornar in Laktaši.

STATEMENTS AFTER THE GAME:

Jurica Golemac, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija:
“In the heavy rhythm of the matches, we didn’t know exactly what energy we were going to present ourselves with. Krka also entered the match after a difficult rhythm of matches, so it was obvious that the Novo mesto players were ‘saving’ some players. An important match awaits Krka in two days. The end result is not a realistic indicator of the strength of both teams. The happy desire and energy of our boys. Everyone who stepped on the floor showed a good game.”

Dan Duščak, player of Cedevita Olimpija:
“Congratulations to Krka for the fight. In the first half, Novo mesto was a tough nut to crack, scoring a large number of three-point shots. In the second half, we played more seriously and, especially in defense, showed the game that the head coach requires of us. The victory deservedly remained in Stožice.”

NOVA KBM LEAGUE, CHAMPIONSHIP STAGE, ROUND 10

Stožice Arena (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Saturday, April 24:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – KRKA 99:72 (24:30, 26:13, 25:19, 24:10)
Cedevita Olimpija: Radović 4 (4 rebounds), Perry 6 (8 assists), Hopkins 13, Duščak 10 (6 assists, 5 rebounds), Murić 11, Blažič 13 (4 rebounds), Brown 17, Jones 16, Ščuka, Dimec 7, Marinković 2, Rupnik.

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PHOTO GALLERY

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