Slovenian side moves to 11–6 with a commanding all-around performance
Cedevita dominates Hamburg to strengthen Group A position
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 17 of 18
Regular Season
group a
Veolia Towers HamburgHAM
7488
Cedevita Olimpija LjubljanaCOL
group a
Overview
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana turned a potential trap into a statement, controlling the game from the opening minutes and never letting Veolia Towers Hamburg breathe en route to a 74-88 victory on Thursday night. The win sees the Slovenian side improve its record to 11–6 and leaves it squarely in the fight for the number 2 spot in Group A next week.
The performance was so routine that even head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic didn’t anticipate how comfortably it would unfold.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect it,” said Zvezdan Mitrovic, moments after the final buzzer.
Despite his apparent surprise, Coach Mitrovic was pleased with his team’s professionalism in what could have been a banana peel of a game: “My players were really focused from the beginning, for the full 40 minutes, especially on defense, but on offense they were effective too. For us, its very important. I am really happy and want to congratulate all of my players.”
Cedevita opened up a lead midway through the first quarter, scoring as a unit to move ahead and widen a gap that it would not surrender. Hamburg struggled to push back and was ultimately overwhelmed on both ends of the floor. Cedevita remained in control throughout, tightening its grip down the stretch to close it out.
Matthew Hurt dazzled for the hosts with 15 points and 6 rebounds to inspire his team to the convincing victory, but he was quick to attribute the success to his coaches.
“It was about knowing the scouting report, knowing which guys want to go left, which guys want to go right,” said Hurt. “We did a great job executing our game plan and the coaches did a great job getting us ready for this game. They’ve been playing a lot better lately, so we cant take them for granted. We did a good job tonight, I’m proud of ours guys.”
Since joining the team in January, the American forward’s minutes and usage have gradually increased, showing a growing trust in his abilities from Mitrovic and the team, punctuated by this 28-minute contribution. Hurt made it clear after the win that he is only just getting started.
“I like it here”, Hurt stated. “I am just getting comfortable each game that I’m here for and hopefully I can keep getting better.”
Umoja Gibson also helped his team enormously, recording 13 points and 4 dimes. Adding to the offensive onslaught, Aleksej Nikolic and Luka Brajkovic both netted 10. Cedevita’s team defense was a clear differentiator. The visitors played disciplined, swarming D throughout, made evident with their total of 8 steals and 4 blocks.
A huge milestone was reached by Jaka Blazic, who scored 6 points to become the third- highest scorer in EuroCup history with 1,493 career points. He moved passed Errick McCollum to etch his name in history.
The only thing casting a shadow over this otherwise perfect evening for the travelling side was the injury to Thomas Kennedy, who had to leave the game in the second half. His status remained uncertain after the game, but Mitrovic buoyantly expressed his hope that his squad can make up for his absence.
Next week, Hamburg will play its final EuroCup game of the season, hoping to earn its third win of the season and go out on a positive note. Cedevita will face Slask Wroclaw on Tuesday, hoping to move past Bahcesehir College Istanbul for second place.
