The home team held the Spanish side under 70 points and forced 22 turnovers
Cedevita Olimpija’s plan to slow down Manresa paid off
Статьи
3 Минутное чтение
Regular Season
Round 1 of 18
Regular Season
group a
Cedevita Olimpija LjubljanaCOL
7669
BAXI ManresaMAN
group a
Overview
w
l
Despite holding a comfortable 15-point lead at halftime, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana’s head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic remained focused on one key objective: “To stop their transition – that’s our main goal today,” he told TV cameras when asked about his second-half strategy.
Mitrovic knew how dangerous BAXI Manresa could be if allowed to push the pace and run quick offenses. That mantra was repeated before, during, and after the game.
His patience paid off, as Cedevita executed their game plan perfectly in Round 1 of the new BKT EuroCup campaign, securing a 76-69 victory. The home team forced 22 turnovers and limited Manresa to just 10 fast-break points, while converting 26-of-29 free throws – compared to Manresa’s 9 of 16 from the line.
“I think it’s a very important victory, especially against Manresa and for our first game,” Mitrovic said with satisfaction. “I’m pretty happy about it.”
Cedevita’s success came from disrupting Manresa’s ball movement, minimizing easy baskets, and controlling the tempo with a deliberate, slower pace. An early 11-0 run helped establish a 42-27 halftime lead.
“Our defense, especially in the first half, was the deciding factor today,” Mitrovic explained. “We stopped their transition game. The second half wasn’t as easy, but we maintained our advantage throughout and absolutely deserved this win.”
Cedevita pushed the lead to 21 points early in the second half at 48-27, nearly putting the game out of reach. However, Manresa refused to fold and fought back, cutting the deficit to just five points, 71-66, entering the final minute.
A crucial three-pointer from Aleksej Nikolic then “shot the lights out,” allowing Cedevita to capitalize on their defensive effort and close out the win.
“Definitely, it was a bit ugly in the second half,” Thomas Kennedy admitted after the game. “But what’s important is that we controlled their pace. They’re a very high-tempo team, and from the jump ball, we were able to dictate the pace. They found a bit more rhythm in the second half, but a win is a win. It’s important to get that first one.”