Mission Semifinals: It all goes down in the Quarterfinals matchup against JL Bourg

A new decisive challenge awaits the Cedevita Olimpija senior team in the BKT EuroCup – a quarterfinal clash against French side Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse. The teams will battle for a place in the semifinals, with only the winner advancing, on Tuesday at 19:30 at Ekinox Arena. The game will be broadcast live on Šport TV 1.

The Cedevita Olimpija senior team traveled to the French city of Bourg-en-Bresse on Sunday immediately after finishing their ABA League game against Partizan Mozzart Bet in Belgrade, flying via Geneva. The city, which has just under 50,000 inhabitants, will host the BKT EuroCup quarterfinal matchup in which the Dragons will try to secure a desired place in the semifinals against the home team, Cosea JL Bourg. The teams will take the court at Ekinox Arena on Tuesday at 19:30, with only the winner advancing to the top four teams of the EuroCup.

Cedevita Olimpija will appear in the quarterfinals of the modern EuroCup for the third time, and for the second time in a row. On each previous occasion, the Dragons came very close to reaching the semifinals, but both times a Turkish team eliminated them from the playoffs – Frutti Extra Bursaspor in the 2021/22 season and Bahçeşehir in the 2024/25 season.

This time, the Ljubljana side will try to find their path to the semifinals in France, where they will face the finalists of the 2023/24 season, who finished the 2025/26 regular season in second place in Group B. JL Bourg ended the regular season with a record of 13 wins and five losses, securing direct qualification to the quarterfinals.

On Sunday, Partizan ended Cedevita Olimpija’s winning streak. In the game in Belgrade, which the reigning ABA League champions won 86:70, all players who were in the lineup received playing time and all of them also scored. The only player who did not step on the court was David Škara, who stayed in the hotel as a precaution due to illness. Škara traveled to Bourg together with his teammates, and the decision on whether he will play will be made on game day.

TV BROADCAST

The live television broadcast of the EuroCup quarterfinal game against JL Bourg will be available on Šport TV 1. The studio coverage will begin at 18:45.

STATEMENTS BEFORE THE GAME

Zvezdan Mitrović, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija:
“We all know that another game that will decide our fate in the competition is ahead of us. Our main goal is to step onto the court, give everything we have, achieve a good result and advance to the semifinals. JL Bourg has a very talented team, so we will have to pay attention to our defensive play. They have players who are athletically dominant at both the guard and frontcourt positions. The team is well constructed and also has experience playing in the final of the competition. They play very aggressively, defend the paint well and have toughness. It will be important that we are accurate with our shots, which has not been the case in some of our recent games. We will have to play fast and take advantage of our strengths. We will try to relieve our playmakers, control the rebounding battle, which will be extremely important since our opponents are very athletic. JL Bourg is known to play better on their home court than on the road. We will have to pay attention to the basics. On Monday we started preparing for the game, we have a practice ahead of us that will be more focused on recovery due to the travel and the game on Sunday, and the day before the game will follow our usual routine. Unlike our opponents, we do not have much time to prepare. I am not looking for alibis, but I want all the players to give everything they have.”

DJ Stewart, player of Cedevita Olimpija:
“We are aware that a game is ahead of us that we must win, otherwise our season ends, so we understand how demanding it will be. Our opponents have quality players. All of us must be aware of our responsibilities and stay focused on them. Each of us has to give everything we have if we want to return to Ljubljana with a positive result. We know they have many guards who can score a lot of points and play aggressively. We will also have to play aggressively and dictate the tempo with our defense. We must do that from the start of the game and not allow them to find their rhythm. JL Bourg also has several big men who can establish themselves firmly in the paint and disrupt opponents’ shots. We will have to be careful with how we attack the basket and recognize the space for the right passes.”

Rok Radović, player of Cedevita Olimpija:
“We expect maximum intensity in the game. I believe both teams will give everything they have and even more. This is a game that takes you to the semifinals, so it carries great importance. JL Bourg plays tough, with physical players. It is a special team that has four centers on its roster. The guards are also physically strong and can cover multiple positions. It is a very good team, also a young one. We are certainly facing a difficult game, but I believe in our success.”

GAME PREVIEW

Cedevita Olimpija will chase its first-ever appearance in the semifinals of the modern EuroCup. After the Dragons held a 19-point lead in the first half of last season’s quarterfinal against Bahçeşehir but ultimately suffered a narrow defeat, the motivation for the Ljubljana team is clear – they want to return to Ljubljana with a place among the top four teams of the EuroCup.

The Ljubljana club last reached the semifinals of any European competition in the 1996/97 season, when it competed as Smelt Olimpija and finished third at the EuroLeague Final Four in Rome. It is also worth mentioning the achievement of Zagreb’s Cedevita, which reached the Final Four of the modern EuroCup in Treviso in the 2010/11 season and finished third.

The Dragons secured their place among the top eight teams of the 2025/26 EuroCup season with a win over NINERS Chemnitz in the Round of 16 at home in Stožice Arena. The German team started the game better and held the lead almost throughout until the middle of the third quarter. With energetic and tough defensive play, the Dragons took control of the game in the third period, extended their lead to ten points in the final quarter and ultimately withstood all attempts by their opponents to turn the game back in their favor.

For Cedevita Olimpija, DJ Stewart scored 14 points, followed by Umoja Gibson with 12 points and six assists. Aleksej Nikolić recorded 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Rok Radović also reached double digits with 10 points and five rebounds.

Cedevita Olimpija’s opponents, JL Bourg, opened their EuroCup campaign with four consecutive wins, before Beşiktaş stopped their streak in Round 5. The French team then won four more games in a row and finished the first half of the regular season with eight wins and only one loss.

JL Bourg looked dominant all the way until Round 13, when they defeated Lietkabelis on the road and improved their record to 11 wins in 13 games. However, they managed to win only two of their final five games, which meant they had to concede first place in Group B to Beşiktaş, who finished with the same number of wins (13) but had the advantage in the head-to-head record.

Statistically the most efficient player for Bourg this season is the 200-centimeter-tall, 27-year-old Both Gach, who averages 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. The team’s leading scorer is Darius McGhee, averaging 13.9 points per game. It should also be highlighted that the French team is known this season for its excellent defensive play, as JL Bourg, together with Turk Telekom, allowed the fewest points per game in the regular season (76.8). In this statistical category, Cedevita Olimpija ranked third in the regular season, allowing an average of 77.8 points per game.

Historically, the 2023/24 season was the most successful for JL Bourg. They finished the regular season with 14 wins in 18 games and reached the EuroCup finals, where they faced Paris in an all-French matchup. Paris won the final series with two victories, claiming the EuroCup title and securing a place in the EuroLeague. In the 2024/25 season, JL Bourg did not reach the playoffs, narrowly missing out on a place among the top 12 teams.

Following the international break, JL Bourg has been in excellent form. On March 10 they convincingly defeated Le Portel 92:63, and on Saturday they beat Le Mans 98:86 at home. After a slow start, the hosts caught fire from three-point range in the remainder of the first half and quickly built a 20-point lead. After 20 minutes it was 59:41 for JL Bourg, and the home team maintained a comfortable lead until the final buzzer. Darius McGhee shined with 29 points, making eight three-pointers. Adam Mokoka added 18 points, Both Gach scored 11 and Assemian Moulare 10.

Cedevita Olimpija and JL Bourg have faced each other eight times in the modern EuroCup, with both teams recording four wins. Their most recent meetings came in the 2024/25 season, when the French team won both games.

TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON

KEY INDIVIDUALS

BKT EUROCUP, QUARTERFINALS

Ekinox (Bourg-en-Bresse, France), Tuesday, March 17, 19:30:
COSEA JL BOURG-EN-BRESSE – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (Live broadcast on Šport TV 1)

LOOKING AHEAD

If Cedevita Olimpija wins Tuesday’s game, the team will secure a place in the EuroCup semifinal series. The semifinals, played in a best-of-three format, will take place between Tuesday, March 31, and Wednesday, April 8, if a third game is necessary. The Ljubljana side will certainly return to the court on Sunday at 17:00, when they face Igokea m:tel in Laktaši in ABA League action.