Sunday brings a game against Cibona to Stožice Arena

Ahead of the Cedevita Olimpija senior basketball team lies a new Sunday challenge. At 5:00 PM, the Dragons will face Zagreb’s Cibona in the 27th round of the regular season of the AdmiralBet ABA League at Stožice Arena. Tickets for the game are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.

For the sixth consecutive Sunday, Cedevita Olimpija’s basketball players will be active in the regional league. This time, Zagreb’s Cibona arrives at Stožice Arena for the 27th round of the regular season of the AdmiralBet ABA League at 5:00 PM. The Dragons will aim to secure their sixth consecutive victory in head-to-head matchups against the Zagreb team, their second in this competitive season, while also returning to winning ways after a defeat in Subotica last weekend.

The Ljubljana basketball team had an excellent opportunity last Sunday in northern Serbia to claim a win against Spartak and jump to fifth place in the standings. Igokea m:tel suffered a loss away at Partizan Mozzart Bet (94:100), but unfortunately, the squad led by head coach Zvezdan Mitrović failed to overcome the Subotica team, which handed the Dragons their tenth defeat of the season.

Cedevita Olimpija and Igokea remain tied in wins and losses (16/10), but the Laktaši team holds an advantage in the standings due to a better record in their head-to-head matchups. Spartak has two fewer wins, while Mega and FMP have three fewer.

TICKET PURCHASE:

Tickets for the game are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com, Eventim Slovenia, and at all Petrol service stations across Slovenia.

The box office and arena doors will open from 4:00 PM onward. The NLB ‘Fast Entry’ will again be available, allowing visitors who present an NLB bank card before entering the arena to access the Stožice hall more quickly.

FAN ZONE:

In April, we celebrate World Earth Day, and as part of our Green Five project, the fourth member of the five is ‘Emission Reduction.’ For this reason, we will dedicate Sunday’s game against Cibona to environmental protection, with partners Zavarovalnica Triglav, Nomago Bikes, and Ljubljana Public Transport joining us. Nomago Bikes has prepared a special code, OLIMPIJA, for 30 minutes of free electric bike usage.

With a game ticket, you can ride Ljubljana Public Transport buses for free three hours before and three hours after the game.

If you plan to arrive by personal vehicle, park at nearby lots (Žale I, Žale II, Žale III, Žale IV, Žale V, Kranjčeva, and Gosarjeva). The garage at Stožice Arena will be open until its limited spaces are filled.

In the green section of the arena, you’ll once again find our basketball obstacle course, coloring books, and a diploma for those attending a Dragons’ game for the first time. The fan zone will also feature Renault toy cars, Woop! Cornhole, and a bike course by Zavarovalnica Triglav outside the arena. Our volunteers will distribute tattoo stickers for the youngest fans in the fan zone.

Zavarovalnica Triglav will enhance the game with a Connect Four game, and after the prize game concludes, a QR code for a sustainable mobility survey will be displayed on the arena’s LED cube. During one of the breaks, there will also be a prize game for a Dragons’ autographed jersey. Alongside Zmajiček Oli, the mascot Kuža Pazi will also be present at the game.

TV BROADCAST:

The game will be broadcast on Arena Sport Slovenia 1, with the studio segment starting at 4:30 PM.

PRE-GAME STATEMENTS:

“We face another game that we must approach with maximum seriousness. We all remember the game in Zagreb, where we struggled to secure the win. Cibona’s team has completely changed since our first matchup and has played several close games in the regional league. Therefore, our approach must be serious and focused to deliver a performance with good energy. We’re definitely missing Andrija Stipanović at the center position, who is very important in our rotation, and in his absence, we’re left with only Joan Beringer at that position. This was evident in our last game in Subotica. We’re still without Jaka Blažič. If we approach the game with quality, seriousness, focus, and the right energy, we can hope for a new victory,” said Cedevita Olimpija’s head coach, Zvezdan Mitrović, ahead of the Stožice matchup.

“We fell just short of a win in our last game against Spartak. In the end, small details decided the outcome. We can definitely perform better, with more energy. I believe our approach won’t be an issue. We need to enter the game with a lot of energy,” said Aleksej Nikolić ahead of Sunday’s game.

GAME PREVIEW:

Cedevita Olimpija will aim to bounce back on Sunday at home against Cibona after their last regional league matchup against Spartak. The Dragons started the game in Subotica well, quickly taking the lead, but the hosts then took control. After the main break, the Ljubljana team played better and had a chance to close out the game with a win in the final seconds, but Devin Robinson was first inaccurate from the free-throw line, and Brynton Lemar’s three-point attempt also missed the mark. In the additional five minutes, Spartak struck first, pulled away quickly, and ultimately celebrated a 99:90 victory.

On the other side, Cibona suffered a heavy defeat in the previous round in Zagreb against the reigning champions, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet. The scoreboard at Dražen Petrović Basketball Center showed 107:81 in favor of the Red-and-Whites. This was Cibona’s fourth consecutive loss in the regional league, their sixth in the last seven games. With four wins in 26 games, the Zagreb team currently sits second-to-last in the standings—Krka from Novo Mesto has one more win, while Mornar from Bar has two fewer.

Before their trip to Ljubljana, Cibona played a game in the Croatian championship on Wednesday against Cedevita Junior, suffering a 87:103 defeat, and on Friday, they face Split, also in the Croatian league.

Cedevita Olimpija and Cibona first faced off this season on December 14 in Zagreb, where the Dragons staged a comeback in the final quarter to win 75:66. Cibona led for most of the game, but Ljubljana secured the victory with a 12-point run between the 36th and 39th minutes, building a nine-point lead they never relinquished. DeVante Jones recorded 18 points and five assists, Devin Robinson had 17 points and nine rebounds, Jaka Blažič scored 12, and Brynton Lemar added 10 points. For Cibona, Toni Ročak scored 21 points, and Peter Jok contributed 16.

ADMIRALBET ABA LEAGUE, 27TH ROUND OF THE REGULAR SEASON

Stožice Arena (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Sunday, April 13, at 5:00 PM:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – CIBONA (TV broadcast on Arena Sport Slovenia 1)

STANDINGS:

LOOKING AHEAD:

As early as Wednesday, Cedevita Olimpija’s squad will travel to Podgorica, where they will face SC Derby in the 28th round of the regular season on Thursday at 7:00 PM. They will then return to Ljubljana, and the Dragons will step back onto their home court on Sunday, April 27, when they host Partizan Mozzart Bet at Stožice.