Showdown against champions in Stožice Arena

Cedevita Olimpija players are facing a new and difficult test. In the 17th round of the regional league, in Stožice, the team of head coach Jurica Golemac will face the current champions of the competition, the Red Star mts basketball players.

After the Cedevita Olimpija basketball players returned to the floor on Wednesday after a several-day competitive break and suffered a defeat in the tenth round of the 7DAYS EuroCup against Gran Canaria (60:75), the Slovenian national champions face a new challenging challenge. In the Round 17 of the regular part of the regional league, the basketball players of the Crvena zvezda mts, who is the current champion of the competition and is also playing in the elite Euroleague this season, are coming to the Stožice Hall.

The match, which will start at 18.00, will be broadcasted live on Arena Sport 1.

Unfortunately, the several-day competitive break claimed its toll on the Cedevita Olimpija players, who failed to find the right rhythm in the clash with the Spanish team on Wednesday. After the initial high lag, the Ljubljana team woke up in the second quarter, got a little closer to Gran Canaria, which then ran away from the Ljubljana team again and in the end was looking forward to a high victory. In the Ljubljana team, Yogi Ferrell scored 11 points, while Jaka Blažič and Melvin Ejim scored ten points each.

Crvena zvezda mts, together with Partizan NIS, is at the top of the list this regional season. Belgrade’s red and white basketball players are entering the clash with Cedevita Olimpija with 13 wins in 14 games, and the black and white team has two defeats in addition to two games played. The current champions suffered their only defeat in the third round against Igokeia, and then they scored 11 consecutive victories.

On Friday, Crvena zvezda returned to the floor for the first time in 19 days and hosted Asvel in the Euroleague. In the first European match in 2022, the Belgrade team showed a solid performance in the first half and took ten points (35:25) with them to the main break. In the third quarter, the French team returned to the game to win, and in the dramatic finale then celebrated a close victory with a score of 69:67. At the very end of the match, Ognjen Dobrić, who was the best scorer of the red and whites with 20 points, had a throw to win, but he could not find his way to the goal.

The best scorer of the Crvena zvezda in the Euroleague is Nikola Kalinić with an average of 13.1 points, and Kalinić is also the best scorer of the Belgrade team in the regional league, where he scores 11.8 points per game.

The teams have already competed once this season, and the victory was celebrated by the Crvena zvezda. In the Belgrade hall of Aleksandar Nikolić, the teams took turns in the lead for 30 minutes, then the home team won the last quarter with a difference of 14 points and in the end they were looking forward to the victory with the result 79:64. Melvin Ejim was the top scorer in the green-orange team with 13 points, while Luka Mitrović and Austin Hollins scored 13 points each in the Zvezda jersey.

STATEMENTS AHEAD OF THE GAME:

Jurica Golemac, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija:
“After an unfavorable period of time behind us and the match with Gran Canaria, we were able to catch the rhythm of training in the last few days. So I expect more energy, attention and focus, and to rise in our game. Crvena zvezda is certainly the biggest favorite to win the title of champion in this competition. A team that plays in the Euroleague and has three equal players in each playing position. The team of Belgrade plays physically and are very well coached. If we want to end the match with a positive result, we have to play one of the best matches of the season.”

Alen Omić, player of Cedevita Olimpija:
“We want to prepare well for the match with Crvena zvezda, as we are all aware of what this Monday’s match means to us. We have to get back on the winning track and catch the rhythm. Our rivals faced Asvel in the Euroleague on Friday and suffered a defeat in the last moments of the match. Regardless, the team from Belgrade will come to Ljubljana with the desire to prove, why they are first in the rankings in the regional league, and why they are playing in the Euroleague this season. We need a victory, so we will do our best to secure it on Monday.”

ABA LEAGUE, ROUND 17

Stožice Arena (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Monday, January 24, at 18.00:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS

STANDINGS: