Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana stormed into the EuroCup Quarterfinals by thrashing Turk Telekom Ankara 93-80 at Arena Stozice in the Slovenian capital on Tuesday.
Cedevita eliminates Turk Telekom with 93-80 triumph
Cedevita extended its winning streak to nine games and reached the quarterfinals for the first time in club history. Despite the loss, Turk Telekom finished the season with a winning record (9-8) for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign (10-2). Jaka Blazic led the winners with 20 points, Alen Omic added 15 points and 16 rebounds, Jacob Pullen scored 15, Zoran Dragic 14 and Yogi Ferrell tallied 11 points and 7 assists for Cedevita. JaJuan Johnson paced Turk Telekom with 16 points, Aubrey Dawkins added 15, Anthony Clemmons 14 and Erdi Gulaslan 12.
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Edo Muric got Cedevita going with a mid-range jumper, which Dragic followed with a driving layup for a 4-0 lead. Blazic matched Alex Perez's floater with a driving basket and Omic added a tip-in for an 8-2 score. After Clemmons struck from downtown, Ferrell found his first points. Octavius Ellis made a jumper to bring Turk Telekom within 11-7. Blazic sank a corner triple and Omic erased Clemmons's layup with a put-back basket. Omic and Ellis traded layups and Blazic's three-point play made it a double-digit game, 21-11. Dragic took over with back-to-back fastbreak layups and Pullen hit from beyond the arc. Clemmons and Can Ogut drew Turk Telekom within 29-16 after 10 minutes.
Pullen hit a floater and Ferrell sank a three-pointer that broke the game open, 34-16, early in the second quarter. Dawkins tried to change things with a tomahawk dunk and a shot from downtown, but Pullen and Ferrell kept Cedevita ahead, 39-21. Gulaslan stepped up for Turk Telekom and Clemmons made a triple to bring the visitors within 45-31. Blazic rescued Cedevita and Muric improved on Ellis's slam with a three-pointer. Clemmons and Dragic traded triples before Omic scored in the paint for a 55-36 Cedevita lead. Dawkins took over with an alley-oop slam that Blazic improved on with a three-point play. Pullen extended Cedevita's lead to 60-38 at halftime.
Ferrell sank a floater soon after the break and Muric dunked off a steal for a 62-40 Cedevita lead. Dawkins tried to change things with a three-pointer, but Omic answered with a tip-in and Dragic scored in transition to restore a 68-43 Cedevita lead. Dragic euro-stepped to get a wild three-point play. Johnson buried a baseline jumper and Omic's jump hook gave his team a 73-46 margin. Johnson and Ellis tried to change things for the guests, but they didn't find much help. Auguste ignited the crowd with an alley-oop slam, Melvin Ejim buried a fadeaway jumper and Blazic struck from downtown to give Cedevita an 80-52 cushion after 30 minutes.
Cedevita slowed down the game tempo early in the fourth quarter. Johnson buried a couple of jumpers and added a layup to bring Turk Telekom closer. Gulaslan sank a corner triple off a Cedevita timeout to give the visitors a bit of hope at 80-61 with 6 minutes remaining. Dawkins capped a 0-14 Turk Telekom run with a three-pointer, as Blazic answered with a jumper to make it 82-64. Johnson sank a couple of mid-range jumpers and got help from Gulaslan and Can Ogut to bring the guests closer, 86-73, with less than 3 minutes remaining. Blazic dunked off a steal to seal Cedevita's win in style!