Cedevita Olimpija emerged victorious in a dramatic finish against Mega with a score of 89-87 in the first round of the ABA League.
Mega, in the Slovenian capital, couldn’t count on Omer Can Ilyasoglu and Nemanja Popovic.
The Ljubljana team started the game much stronger than their opponents, building an early double-digit lead of 21-10. Despite two timeouts by Marko Barac, Mega couldn’t find a solution for the excellent performance of D.J. Stewart and Justin Cobbs, which gave Cedevita Olimpija a 31-21 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
The balance of power didn’t shift in the following quarters, with Cedevita Olimpija maintaining their dominance (42-29). Towards the end of the first half, Mega completely lost control of the game, and the difference in quality between the two teams was evident as they headed into halftime with a score of 62-42. Notably, Cedevita Olimpija made five out of six attempted three-pointers, while Mega managed to convert only four out of 12 attempts from beyond the arc.
U toku je utakmica između Cedevita Olimpije i Mege. Jedna od najlepših akcija u dosadašnjem delu meča delo je Seana Armanda i Amadoua Sowa.pic.twitter.com/5vGCnxNkjb
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere7) September 30, 2023
During the third quarter, Nikola Topic played a crucial role as Mega initiated a 9-0 run, closing the gap to just 11 points (67-56). However, the visiting team’s momentum was halted by Karlo Matkovic, Jaka Blazic and Cobbs, who quickly restored an 18-point lead for Cedevita Olimpija (78-60). The Belgrade team managed to slightly reduce the deficit by the end of the quarter (82-67).
Midway through the fourth quarter, Barac’s team, led by Stefan Miljenovic, narrowed the gap to single digits (86-77), setting the stage for a dramatic finish in Stozice Arena. Outstanding performances by Nikola Djurisic and Topic brought Mega within striking distance, and with two minutes to go, the game was wide open.
Andrija Jelavic’s basket tied the score at 87-87 with 35 seconds remaining, creating an intense atmosphere on the court. Justin Cobbs scored the winning points for Cedevita Olimpija with a mid-range shot, while Jelavic missed a three-pointer in the next play. The final score was 89-87.
Justin Cobbs was the top scorer for Cedevita Olimpija with 19 points, while Nikola Topic led Mega with 25 points.
In the next round of the ABA League, Cedevita Olimpija will face Crvena Zvezda as the away team, while Mega will host Borac from Cacak.
Cedevita Olimpija – Mega 89-87 (31:21, 31:21, 20:25, 7:20).
Venue: Stozice Arena
Referees: Denis Hadzic, Bojan Kruljac, Marko Mustapic
Cedevita Olimpija: Stewart 10, Armand 10, Sow 5, Radicevic, Cobbs 19, Glas 4, Blazic 14, Matkovic 14, Jones 6, Scuka 7, Klobucar, Shashkov.
Mega: Paunovic, Miljenovic 18, Jelavic 4, Kobzystyi, Milutinovic, Djurisic 13, Kovacevic 6, Plavsic 5, Jovic 6, Topic 25, Malovec 10.