Cedevita Olimpija secured a win over Partizan on their home court with a score of 95-91 in the ABA League, eighth round.
The home team in this match was without Karlo Matkovic and Edin Muric, while Partizan played without Kevin Punter and Uros Trifunovic.
The first half was marked by surges from both teams. Cedevita Olimpija and Partizan took turns in the lead, although the guests initially delivered stronger blows. However, the team from Ljubljana consistently fought back each time and didn’t allow the opponent to establish complete control. On the contrary, they entered the third quarter with a lead of half a point, largely thanks to the outstanding performance of Jaka Blazic.
“The team coached by Zeljko Obradovic had a somewhat weaker start to the third quarter, which Cedevita Olimpija exploited, attempting to build a larger lead. However, P.J. Dozier prevented that by scoring from a distance and then converting from mid-range, turning the duel in favor of Partizan. Despite this effort, it wasn’t enough to avoid a suspenseful ending, in which the Slovenian team came out on top.
The top scorers for the winners were Blazic with 29 points and Klemen Prepelic with 18 points and 11 assists. Frank Kaminsky stood out for the opposing team with 20 points.
In the next round, Cedevita Olimpija will be visiting Budućnost, while Partizan will host Mornar.
Partizan took the lead, but the home team made a comeback
Traditionally, visiting Ljubljana has always been a challenging task for Partizan. This was evident in the first few minutes when the home team consistently hit three-pointers, building a lead and establishing control. This continued until the television timeout when the black and whites initiated a comeback. Aleksa Avramovic, Mateusz Ponitka, and Frank Kaminsky paved the way for Belgrade, reaching a seven-point lead, only to face an immediate response.
Amadou Sow played exceptionally well early on and was instrumental in Cedevita Olimpija staying competitive. Even when it seemed that Danilo Andjusic had extended the guests’ lead to nine points with a three-pointer, the team from Ljubljana returned with the same recipe. Jaka Blazic hit two consecutive three-pointers, complicating the match. Shortly after, he regained the lead for his team with a drive to the basket, leading to a back-and-forth struggle. In such a situation, Cedevita Olimpija seemed slightly more satisfied, leading 51-50 before heading into halftime.
Tensions at the end
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – PARTIZAN 95:91 (22:27, 29:23, 22:21, 22:20)
Vanue: Stozice, Ljubljana; Referees: Beloševic, Javor, Mustapic
Cedevita Olimpija: Stewart 12, Armand, Sow 7, Radovic, Cobbs 9, Glas, Blazic 29, Prepelic 18 (11as), Jones 17, Scuka 3, Klobucar, Shashkov
Partizan: Vukcevic, LeDay 17, Avramovic 2, Koprivica, Smailagic 4, Jaramaz 2, Nunnally 10, Andjusic 5, Dozier 14, Ponitka 7, Kaminsky 20, Caboclo 10