Cedevita Olimpija lost 64:75 to Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem at Arena Stožice in their first home game of the new BKT EuroCup season. The Ljubljana side remain without a European victory after two regular-season rounds, with their next opportunity coming next Wednesday on the road against Riga Zelli.
The first home European fixture of the 2026/27 season went the way of the visitors from Jerusalem. Following an opening 81:85 defeat in Burgos, Cedevita Olimpija hosted Saša Obradović’s talented squad in Round 2 of Group A. Hapoel are openly targeting the BKT EuroCup title this season, and the final scoreboard at Stožice showed a 75:64 victory for the visitors.
The Dragons were therefore unable to follow Saturday’s AdmiralBet ABA League win over Cibona with their first European victory. Before returning to EuroCup action, they travel to face Široki TT Kabeli in the regional competition on Saturday.
POSTGAME QUOTES:
Zvezdan Mitrović, Cedevita Olimpija head coach:
“Congratulations to Hapoel on the victory and to my players for their fighting spirit. When you watch the game, you quickly notice the difference in the players’ quality and physical strength. As we discussed before the game, this was a test to see how our team could compete against a strong side with powerful, high-quality individuals on the court. We fought and managed to score some baskets. I think we gave everything we could at this stage, both defensively and offensively. I believe we can improve, especially once more players return to the rotation and we have more quality available on the court. Based on how I assessed the two teams before the game, our performance was not bad. Of course, the defeat hurts, but it is never easy against an opponent like this.”
Noah Kirkwood, Cedevita Olimpija player:
“Disappointing, to say the least. We knew how good a team they were, but I felt that in the first half we did not show many of the things we had talked about in our preparations, particularly our effort and offensive rebounding. We missed a lot of open shots that we usually make.”
David Škara, Cedevita Olimpija player:
“Unfortunately, we lost. Hapoel shot better from the field and were simply the better team. Our task now is to regroup, improve our chemistry and take a step forward in our game.”
GAME REPORT:
The Ljubljana side stood firm against the favourites, matching the visitors with solid play. The score was tied at 18:18 after the opening ten minutes, but late in the second quarter Hapoel capitalised on the Dragons’ shooting struggles to take a ten-point lead into halftime (37:27).
The Slovenian champions continued to battle after the break, persistently looking for a way back into the game, but the deficit hovered around ten points for much of the second half. When the visitors moved ahead 47:32, the hosts responded with several consecutive baskets, cutting the gap and bringing the fans to their feet. Despite their efforts, they could not reduce the deficit enough to threaten the Jerusalem side’s victory.
Noah Kirkwood led Cedevita Olimpija with 17 points before fouling out. Anthony Cowan Jr. added 14 points and five assists.
BKT EUROCUP – REGULAR SEASON, GROUP A, ROUND 2
Arena Stožice (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Tuesday, 6 October:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – HAPOEL MIDTOWN JERUSALEM 64:75 (18:18, 9:19, 20:18, 17:20)
Cedevita Olimpija: Cowan Jr. 14 (5 assists), Radović, Lomažs 6, Ustun, Houindo 4, Blažič 5, Osifo 2, Cerkvenik 2, Hurt 5 (5 rebounds), Kirkwood 17, Škara 6, Johnson 3.
