One win away from the Finals, Cedevita Olimpija hosts Podčetrtek on Tuesday

On Tuesday at 6:00 PM, Arena Stožice will host the second semifinal match of the national championship, where Cedevita Olimpija will face Terme Olimia Podčetrtek. The Ljubljana Dragons convincingly won the first match in Podčetrtek with a score of 96:70 and lead 1:0 in the best-of-three series. Entry to the arena will be free for … Continued

Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team is just one win away from their eighth consecutive appearance in the national championship finals. In the 2019/20 season, the season was prematurely halted due to the declared coronavirus pandemic, and as a result, the teams did not compete in the playoffs. Before the 2019/20 season, the Dragons reached the finals three years in a row, and since 2020, they have done so four times in a row. The team, led by head coach Zvezdan Mitrović, has a chance to improve that record on Tuesday at 6:00 PM in Stožice, where they will host Terme Olimia Podčetrtek in the second match of the semifinal series. If Terme Olimia Podčetrtek’s players win on Tuesday, the decisive third match will take place on Friday at the Podčetrtek Sports Hall.

Entry to the arena on Tuesday will be free for all visitors!

TV BROADCAST:

The second semifinal match will be broadcast on Šport TV 1, and a link to the online stream can be found at cedevita.olimpija.com.

GAME RECAP:

On Thursday, Cedevita Olimpija’s players secured a convincing victory in Podčetrtek, taking a decisive step toward the national championship finals.

The Dragons’ first 12 points were scored by Jaka Blažič and Aleksej Nikolić, and after an exciting play by Jaka Blažič and Joan Beringer, Cedevita Olimpija already led by ten points (14:4). The motivated Ljubljana team scored 31 points in the first quarter alone. Their lead grew to +20 in the fourth minute of the second quarter after a three-pointer by Brynton Lemar from an impossible position (40:19). Lemar capped off an excellent first half for the Ljubljana team with a three-pointer at the end of the second quarter (56:36). He also started the third quarter with a layup, and after baskets by Nikolić and Rok Radović, Lemar’s two-point shot increased the Dragons’ lead to +31 (69:38) four minutes into the second half. In the remainder of the game, the home team slightly reduced the gap, but never enough to threaten Ljubljana’s victory.

All 10 Cedevita Olimpija players who stepped onto the court at Podčetrtek Sports Hall on Thursday contributed to the score. Aleksej Nikolić led with 21 points, followed by Brynton Lemar with 17 points, and Rok Radović with 11. For Podčetrtek, Tristan Vukotić scored 18 points, Igor Struger and Joshua Thompson each added 13, and Aleksandar Stoimenov contributed 10.

OTP BANK LEAGUE, SEMIFINALS

GAME 2

Arena Stožice (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Tuesday, May 27, at 6:00 PM:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – TERME OLIMIA PODČETRTEK (free entry) [1:0]*

GAME 3**

Podčetrtek Sports Hall (Podčetrtek, Slovenia), Friday, May 30:
TERME OLIMIA PODČETRTEK – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA

*Score in wins. The semifinal is played as a best-of-three series.
**Potential third match.

ALREADY PLAYED:

GAME 1

Podčetrtek Sports Hall (Podčetrtek, Slovenia), Thursday, May 22:
TERME OLIMIA PODČETRTEK – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA 70:96 (16:31, 20:25, 19:22, 15:18)
Cedevita Olimpija: Radović 11, Nikolić 21 (6 assists), Glas 9 (7 rebounds), Blažič 8, Beringer 9 (8 rebounds), Jones 4, Lemar 17, Morano Mahmutovič 6, Lazarevski, Prepelič 6 (7 rebounds), Daneu 5.

STATISTICS
PHOTO GALLERY
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
MORE ABOUT THE GAME

LOOKING AHEAD:

If Cedevita Olimpija wins Tuesday’s match, the Dragons will secure their place in the national championship finals, where they will face the winner of the other semifinal pair, Krka or Ilirija, competing for a spot in the final. If they lose on Tuesday, the semifinal series will move back to Podčetrtek, where the decisive third match on Friday will determine the finalist.