Cedevita Olimpija hosted the Lithuanian Wolves in the fifth round of the second-tier European competition, the EuroCup. The win ultimately went to the Lithuanian team with a score of 86-78.
This was the fourth consecutive game in which Simone Pianigiani was absent from the bench for reasons that are still unknown.
Despite a better start from the guests, leading 7-3, Cedevita Olimpija managed to equalize and then take the lead at 11-9. This was followed by a period in which the Wolves created a 13-2 run, giving them a 22-18 lead at the end of the first ten minutes.
The Slovenian representative did not play poorly offensively at the start of the second quarter, but their defensive lapses allowed the opponent to increase their lead. As time passed, the Wolves extended their lead (42-26), and at halftime, the scoreboard at the “Stozice” arena showed 48-35.
It seemed in the third quarter that Cedevita Olimpija would consolidate its ranks and threaten the lead. The biggest contribution to this came from Karlo Matkovic with two blocks and then with six consecutive points in the third quarter. However, defensive lapses contributed to the lead returning to double digits from a minus eight (52-44), but Cedevita Olimpija managed to cut it to 63-56 before the decisive quarter.
Karlo Matkovic continues with the good form
The home team managed to get within a single possession at the start of the final quarter with a 6-2 run. Jaka Blazic only managed to score his first points in the opening minutes of this period. Cedevita Olimpija had a chance to take the lead, but the Wolves responded with five straight points. In the end, defensive lapses cost the Slovenian team, and they suffered their fifth loss in as many games.
The top scorer for the winning team was Rasheed Sulaimon with 22 points and seven assists. Vaidas Kariniauskas and Kristupas Zemaitis each scored 14 points. Serbian center Djordje Gagic finished the game with six points and three rebounds in just under ten minutes on the court.
In the losing team, Karlo Matkovic, Klemen Prepelic, Amadou Sow, and D.J. Stewart each scored 13 points.
In the next round of the EuroCup, Cedevita Olimpija will visit Venice, while the Lithuanian Wolves will host Prometey at home.
Turk Telekom continues to struggle even after Nenad Canak’s arrival, Joventut takes out their frustration
Trento won against Turk Telekom 101-96 on their home court, but only after an additional five minutes of play. The game was characterized by a closely contested battle between the two teams, with the home team controlling the proceedings for most of the game.
That’s how it went until the last 10 minutes when Turk Telekom stepped up and forced overtime. However, it wasn’t enough for them to secure a win, highlighting that the shock therapy of replacing coach Nenad Canak didn’t yield success.
The most efficient players for the winners were Kamar Baldwin with 28 points and Andrejs Grazulis with 22 points. The guests were led by Jalen Adams with 25 points.
In the second game of the day, Joventut dismantled a helpless Hamburg and secured a 108-76 win, leading from start to finish. The German team had to pay the price for their poor form as of late, and they had no chance to change the outcome in this encounter.
The main contributors to Joventut’s win were Andrew Andrews, who delivered a career-high performance with 33 points in just 23 minutes, and Deshaun Thomas added 16.
Seth Hinrichs stood out for Hamburg with 16 points and eight rebounds.