Seeking a return to winning ways in Laktaši
Cedevita Olimpija will visit Igokea m:tel at Laktaši Sports Hall on Saturday at 19:00. In Round 4 of the first stage of the AdmiralBet ABA League, the Dragons will look to secure their second regional victory and round off a run of three consecutive away games on a winning note. Both teams head into the … Continued
Cedevita Olimpija will visit Igokea m:tel at Laktaši Sports Hall on Saturday at 19:00. In Round 4 of the first stage of the AdmiralBet ABA League, the Dragons will look to secure their second regional victory and round off a run of three consecutive away games on a winning note. Both teams head into the matchup following defeats in European competition and with a 1–1 record in the regional league.
The Ljubljana side have faced a demanding stretch on the road. Following Saturday’s narrow 69–70 defeat to Široki TT Kabeli at Pecara, head coach Zvezdan Mitrović’s team lost 79–89 to Riga Zelli on Wednesday in Round 3 of the BKT EuroCup regular season. In Laktaši, they will look to return to winning ways after opening their regional campaign with an 89–76 home victory over Cibona.
A costly first half proved decisive for the Dragons in the Latvian capital. The hosts scored 56 points in the opening 20 minutes to establish a 16-point halftime lead (56–40). Ljubljana improved defensively after the break and cut the deficit with a 12–0 run, but were unable to turn the game around. Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 23 points, Urban Kroflič and Rihards Lomažs added 14 apiece, while David Škara finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
Cedevita Olimpija therefore remain winless after three BKT EuroCup games, with another regional test awaiting them before their next European fixture. Saturday’s matchup will be their final away game before returning to Stožice, where the Dragons will host Le Mans Sarthe Basket next Wednesday.
The team departed for Laktaši on Friday morning without Noah Kirkwood, who had already been dealing with health issues before the trip to Široki Brijeg, and Cameron Houindo, who has yet to recover from a heavy blow to the head sustained in the home game against Hapoel.
TV COVERAGE:
The game will be broadcast live on Arena Sport Slovenija 2 from 19:00.
PREGAME QUOTES:
“We have a tough away game ahead of us. We haven’t won in Laktaši since I joined Cedevita Olimpija. This will be our third consecutive road game, and the long journey means we won’t have much time for practice and recovery before the game. But it is what it is. I want us to play well for the full 40 minutes. In the second half against Riga, we played the way we should have played from the start. I expect Igokea to be very aggressive. Although they are currently on a losing run against quality teams such as Bilbao and Alba, they are playing well. Igokea have a very strong roster this season, so we are in for an extremely difficult away game,” said Cedevita Olimpija head coach Zvezdan Mitrović before the trip.
“If we play with a lot of energy and do things the right way, we have a good chance of winning. We need to focus on our game and play for the full 40 minutes. I’m looking forward to the game,” said Matthew Hurt before departing for Laktaši. He is Cedevita Olimpija’s leading scorer in the regional league this season, averaging 22.5 points per game.
GAME PREVIEW:
Led by head coach Nenad Stefanović, Igokea m:tel enter Saturday’s matchup with the same regional record as Cedevita Olimpija. They opened their campaign with a 97–89 home win over Slovan Bratislava before losing 83–94 to Borac Mozzart in Laktaši in Round 3. Petar Kovačević led their scoring against the Čačak side with 16 points, Haris Delalić added 15 and Nathaniel Pierre-Louis contributed 10.
Kovačević is also the team’s leading scorer after two regional games, averaging 15 points. Pierre-Louis averages 12.5 points per game, while Đorđe Topolović contributes 10.5 points and six rebounds. Roman Penn runs the offense, averaging six assists.
Lazar Stefanović led Igokea with 21 points in Tuesday’s visit to Alba in Round 2 of the Basketball Champions League regular season. The Laktaši side led 40–38 at halftime and 62–61 heading into the final ten minutes. The hosts then won the fourth quarter 29–17 to claim a 90–79 victory. Joel Armotrading and Penn added 11 points apiece for Igokea. Following an opening home defeat to Surne Bilbao, the Dragons’ opponents are also still searching for their first European win.
Both meetings in the 2025/26 season were won by the home team. Igokea claimed an 81–77 victory in Laktaši in March, while Cedevita Olimpija won 102–88 at Stožice in April. Ljubljana will now look to end a run of three consecutive away defeats against Igokea.
ADMIRALBET ABA LEAGUE – GROUP A, FIRST STAGE, ROUND 4
Laktaši Sports Hall (Laktaši, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Saturday, October 17, at 19:00:
IGOKEA M:TEL – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (Live on Arena Sport Slovenija 2)
GROUP A STANDINGS:
| # | Team | Played | Wins | Losses | Overall | +/- | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FMP | 2 | 2 | 0 | 169:157 | 12 | 4 |
| 2 | HKK Široki TT Kabeli | 2 | 2 | 0 | 157:150 | 7 | 4 |
| 3 | Cedevita Olimpija | 2 | 1 | 1 | 158:146 | 12 | 3 |
| 4 | Crvena zvezda Meridianbet | 2 | 1 | 1 | 190:181 | 9 | 3 |
| 5 | Borac Mozzart | 2 | 1 | 1 | 175:170 | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | Slovan Bratislava | 2 | 1 | 1 | 179:179 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Igokea m:tel | 2 | 1 | 1 | 180:183 | -3 | 3 |
| 8 | Budućnost VOLI | 2 | 1 | 1 | 168:173 | -5 | 3 |
| 9 | Krka | 2 | 0 | 2 | 140:156 | -16 | 2 |
| 10 | Cibona | 2 | 0 | 2 | 158:179 | -21 | 2 |
LOOKING AHEAD:
Saturday’s game in Laktaši will conclude Cedevita Olimpija’s run of three away games before they return home for another EuroCup test on Wednesday at 18:30. French side Le Mans will visit Arena Stožice, where the Dragons will look to end their three-game losing streak in the competition. Just three days later, Ljubljana face another demanding challenge as they take on Budućnost VOLI at Stožice. Tickets for both games are already available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.
