Cedevita Olimpija lost 79–89 to Riga Zelli at Xiaomi Arena on Wednesday in Round 3 of the BKT EuroCup regular season. The Ljubljana side remains winless after three European games in the 2026/27 season and will have its next opportunity to claim a first victory next Wednesday, when it hosts Le Mans at Stožice.
Cedevita Olimpija was unable to secure a victory on its second European road trip of the new season. Following defeats in Burgos and at home against Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem, the Dragons fell to Riga Zelli in Round 3 of Group A, giving the Latvian side its second victory in its debut BKT EuroCup season.
The hosts continued their strong start to the season, having also won all four of their Latvian–Estonian League games so far. Meanwhile, following Saturday’s narrow defeat in Široki Brijeg, the Dragons also came away empty-handed from the second stop of their three-game road stretch.
The Ljubljana side’s next challenge comes on Saturday at 19:00, when it visits Igokea m in Laktaši in Round 4 of the first stage of the AdmiralBet ABA League. Next Wednesday, the Dragons will return to their home court at Arena Stožice to host Le Mans Sarthe Basket in the BKT EuroCup. The European evening will feature Old School Night, with tickets already available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.
POST-GAME QUOTES:
Zvezdan Mitrović, Cedevita Olimpija head coach:
“Congratulations to Riga. They deserved the win. The game was largely decided in the first half, when they scored 56 points and we played poorly at both ends of the floor. Our big men did not score a single point in the opening 20 minutes, which made it very difficult to stay close. We were better defensively in the second half and had an opportunity to close the gap, but we spent most of the game chasing. Riga controlled the game for all 40 minutes and deserved to win in the end.”
Anthony Cowan Jr., Cedevita Olimpija player:
“We cannot spend the whole game fighting just to get back to a tie. We have to be able to take the lead at some point, and we did not manage to do that tonight. That ultimately cost us the game. We have been on a long road trip, but we cannot keep making excuses. We have to start winning, and I believe we will. The second half was better than the first, but ultimately, what matters is winning, and we did not get the win tonight. We will correct our mistakes and find a way to be better.”
GAME REPORT:
The hosts opened the game with four unanswered points and led 17–7 midway through the first quarter. Rihards Lomažs was Ljubljana’s main offensive threat in the opening ten minutes, scoring eight points. The Dragons were unable to contain the home side’s offense in the second quarter either, as Riga scored 56 first-half points to take a 16-point lead into the break (56–40).
After returning to the court, the green-and-orange side raised its level of play and used a 12–0 run to cut the deficit to single digits. Riga Zelli responded with a scoring run of its own and extended its advantage to 17 points in the final quarter. The Dragons narrowed the gap down the stretch, but the hosts scored the final basket to seal an 89–79 victory.
Anthony Cowan Jr. led Cedevita Olimpija with 23 points, while Urban Kroflič and Rihards Lomažs added 14 apiece. David Škara also reached double figures, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds.
BKT EUROCUP – REGULAR SEASON, GROUP A, ROUND 3
Xiaomi Arena (Riga, Latvia), Wednesday, 14 October:
RIGA ZELLI – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA 89–79 (27–18, 29–22, 16–19, 17–20)
Cedevita Olimpija: Cowan Jr. 23, Radović 5, Gainey 5, Lomažs 14, Blažič, Osifo, Cerkvenik, Hurt 4, Kirkwood 1, Kroflič 14 (5 rebounds), Škara 10 (6 rebounds), Johnson 3 (5 rebounds).
