Cedevita Olimpija’s basketball players had a six-point advantage five minutes before the end in Badalona, and then Joventut secured a decisive advantage with a partial score of 13:0 and looked forward to a 96:91 victory. The Dragons remain on two wins in the European Cup.
The Ljubljana team is in last place in Group A with six games to go before the end of the regular season, and they are three wins behind the eighth place, which leads to the elimination fights.
Yogi Ferrell scored 25 points, hit five 3-pointers and had seven assists, but unfortunately, he didn’t have a teammate to take charge in the final minutes. Josh Adams scored 15 points, Edo Murić added 13, and Rok Radović added 12.
The Spaniards rallied after a poor startThe people of Ljubljana started the meeting decisively and in the third minute Edo Murić took advantage of the sleepy start of the hosts with a three-pointer (0:7). Ferrell went up at 3:12 and Joventut coach Carles Duran had to take the first minute of timeout. Guillem Vives quickly tied the game at 12:12 with two triples. After the first quarter, the dragons had a two point lead (19:21).
In the second quarter, Joventut had a minimal advantage throughout. Marko Jeremić cut the score to 48:44 with a three-pointer at the sound of the siren.
Olimpija kept the connection even in the third quarterIn the middle of the third quarter, the dragons took the lead (55:56), but then the hosts took control with a partial score of 11:1. They never managed to break away and after 30 minutes they only had a five-point advantage (70:65).
Ferrell made three 3-pointers to lead the DragonsNine minutes before the end, Vives made it 76:67 with a three-pointer, but Ferrell was accurate twice in a row from behind the line. Olimpija got a boost. Alen Omić equalized, and Josh Adams took the lead six minutes before the end (78:80). The outstanding Ferrell scored a third three-pointer in the last quarter, and Omić provided six points five minutes before the end (79:85).
The Dragons didn’t score a point for more than four minutesThe hosts rallied after a minute of the break, especially in defense they played much more aggressively. Andres Feliz tied the score at 85:85 with a triple. Jurica Golemqac disagreed with the referee’s decisions and received a technical foul. Olimpija did not score a single point for four minutes and 12 seconds. Simon Birgander and Ante Tomić dominated the racket, Joventut led 92:85 with a minute and 20 seconds left. The people of Ljubljana were no longer able to pull themselves together.
Ferrell: When you’re up by six points, you have to be able to close the game“In the last quarter, we pulled away to six points with five minutes to go, and when you do that, you have to be able to finish the game. In the playoffs, we made some personal fouls, our opponents hit free throws. We didn’t manage to score. We need to raise our game defensively,” said Ferrell.
Umana Reyer from Venice is coming to Stožice in the next round on February 1.
Group A, Round 12: YOUTH – CEDEVITA OLYMPIA96:91 (19:21, 29:23, 22:21, 26:26)Parra 23 (5/7 for two, 3/5 for three), Birgander 18, Vives 15 (5/7 for three) , Guy 14, Tomić 11, Feliz 9, Ellenson 6; Ferrell 25 (3/4 for two, 5/9 for three), Adams 15, Murić 13, Radović 12, Omić 11 and 12 rebounds, Alibegović 10, Jeremic 3, Gnjidic 2.
BURSASPOR – PROMETHEUS 92:94
LIETKABELIS – JL BOURG 92:88
BRESCIA – RATIOPHARM ULM 72:85
REYER VENICE – CLUJ NAPOCA 95:90
Lestvica: JOVENTUT 12 8 4 20 PROMETEJ 12 8 4 20 JL BOURG 12 8 4 20 REYER VENEZIA 12 7 5 19 RATIOPHARM ULM 12 7 5 18 BURSASPOR 12 6 6 18 BRESCIA 12 5 7 17 LIETKABELIS 12 5 7 17 CLUJ NAPOCA 12 4 8 16 CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA 12 2 10 13
Source: Rtvslo
