VEF Riga vs. Union Olimpija Ljubljana - Game

2014-15Regular SeasonRound 5

November 11, 2014 CET: 18:30

Local time: 19:30 ARENA RIGA

Union Olimpija conquers Riga for its third road win

Alen Omic - Union Olimpija - EC14 (foto Mikus Klavins - VEF Riga)

Union Olimpija Ljubljana maintained at least a share of first place in Group D at the midway point in the Eurocup Regular Season with a 74-83 victory at VEF Riga. The win was Olimpija’s third on the road this season and took the team’s record to 4-1, while dropping VEF to 1-4. The visitors dominated the opening stretch and led 5-28 after the first basket of the second quarter. VEF regrouped in the second half and rallied to within 8 in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as Olimpija would allow. Blaz Mahkovic and Luka Rupnik rebuilt an 18-point margin that allowed the visitors to coast to victory. Mahkovic missed just 1 shot en route to 20 points for the winners. Rupnik went 10 for 10 from the line in compiling 18, while Alen Omic dominated the paint with 13 points and 16 rebounds. Ronalds Zakis and Gerald Robinson scored 18 points apiece for VEF and Ingus Jakovics added 11.

Anzejs Pasecniks split free throws to open the scoring for VEF, but Olimpija started rolling as Klemen Prepelic scored free throws and assisted Omic inside. Zakis made it 3-4 before Omic and Marko Marinovic each scored twice to help the visitors to a double-digit lead. Zakis’s next basket would be VEF’s last of the quarter. Olimpija reeled off 13 unanswered points – 7 of which came from Halil Kanacevic – to grab a 5-26 lead after 10 minutes. Rupnik scored the first basket of the second quarter before Bamba Fall revived VEF with a pair of baskets. Robinson added a basket-plus-foul, but Mahkovic kept Olimpija comfortable ahead, 12-35. Jakovics twice trimmed the deficit to 20 and a Pasecniks triple made it 24-42, but Mahkovic and Omic put the visitors back firmly in control. Robinson fixed the halftime score at 28-50.

The intermission did the hosts well. Robinson scored first in the second half and Fall added a basket-plus foul as VEF closed to within 15. Prepelic asserted Olimpija’s advantage with a three-pointer, however Zakis scored on three consecutive possessions to make it 43-55. Rupnik netted a pair of free throws to keep Olimpija far ahead. VEF continued to claw its way back and got within 48-60 on an Arturs Strelnieks foul shot. A Robinson layup and Rupnik free throws closed the third quarter at 52-64. Zakis scored again inside and Jakovics made it an 8-point game early in the fourth. Mahkovic connected from downtown to put Olimpija up 58-71. His next basket boosted the difference to 15 with less than five minutes to play. Rupnik sank a three to make it 62-80 and Olimpija cruised the rest of the way.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Eurocupbasketball.com

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Referees: SHULGA, BORIS; CHEBYSHEV, SERGIY; VAN DEN BROECK, NICK

Attendance: 1700 (Tentative)

By Quarter	1	2	3	4
VEF Riga	5	23	24	22
Union Olimpija Ljubljana	26	24	14	19

End of Quarter	1	2	3	4
VEF Riga	5	28	52	74
Union Olimpija Ljubljana	26	50	64	83

VEF Riga

							Rebounds						Blocks		Fouls
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG	3FG	FT	O	D	T	As	St	To	Fv	Ag	Cm	Rv	PIR
3	COBBS, JUSTIN	5:09		0/1								1			2		-4
5	MEJERIS, MAREKS	26:40	8	3/3		2/2	2	1	3	4		1	1		2	5	18
6	TIMMA, JANIS	30:00			0/2			7	7	6	3	3			5	1	7
7	JAKOVICS, INGUS	31:08	11	5/9	0/5	1/2		1	1	3	1	3			3	3	3
8	FALL, BAMBA	15:17	9	4/6		1/1		3	3				3		4	1	10
11	STRELNIEKS, ARTURS	18:18	3	1/4	0/3	1/1		1	1	1	1				3	1	-2
14	BERZINS, ARTURS	2:59		0/2			1		1					1			-2
17	KURUCS, RODIONS	7:08	7	3/3		1/1										1	8
22	ROBINSON, GERALD	32:25	16	6/12	1/5	1/2	4	2	6	1	3	7		1	2	4	9
27	ZAKIS, RONALDS	19:59	16	8/10	0/1	0/4	3	4	7			1			1	2	16
32	PASECNIKS, ANZEJS	10:57	4		1/3	1/2		1	1			2			4	1	-3
	Team						3	4	7								7
	Totals	200:00	74	30/50	2/19	8/15	13	24	37	15	8	18	4	2	26	19	67
				60%	10.5%	53.3%

Head coach: MAZURS, NIKOLAJS

Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating

Union Olimpija Ljubljana

							Rebounds						Blocks		Fouls
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG	3FG	FT	O	D	T	As	St	To	Fv	Ag	Cm	Rv	PIR
5	RUPNIK, LUKA	19:24	18	1/2	2/4	10/10		1	1	1		3			3	8	19
6	MARINELLI, PAOLO	2:03													3		-3
7	HROVAT, GREGOR	25:13	9	1/3	0/1	7/8	3	5	8	1	3	2		1	2	5	17
12	VUCETIC, VASILIJE	5:16		0/1			1	2	3			2
18	NIKOLOV, HRISTO	25:41	2	1/4	0/1		2		2	1	2	2			1	1	1
21	MAHKOVIC, BLAZ	23:51	20	8/9	1/1	1/2	2		2		1	1	1		3	2	20
23	OMIC, ALEN	32:49	13	5/13		3/5	4	12	16	2	3	2		2	2	5	23
24	PREPELIC, KLEMEN	27:03	8	1/2	1/5	3/4	1	2	3	6		2			1	3	11
41	MARINOVIC, MARKO	20:36	6	2/6	0/6	2/2				2	4	2			2	2
45	KANACEVIC, HALIL	18:04	7	2/3	1/2		1	2	3	3	1		1	1	3		9
	Team						1	3	4								4
	Totals	200:00	83	21/43	5/20	26/31	15	27	42	16	14	16	2	4	20	26	101
				48.8%	25%	83.9%

Head coach: PIPAN, ALES

Head Coaches

MAZURS, NIKOLAJS

VEF Riga

"It is difficult to win a game when you struggle so much in the first quarter. To come back from being down by around 20 points each game is very difficult. Obviously, the previous 10 days were difficult for us as we had four games, but that's not an excuse. We lacked aggressiveness and energy, we couldn't put pressure on them from the beginning of game. We know that Union Olimpija lacked some key players, but we just didn't execute our game plan. We lost a very important game, maybe it was the most important game for us. Now we need to regroup and try to play our best in the next games."

PIPAN, ALES

Union Olimpija Ljubljana

"We did a great job here tonight in Riga. We played without our key players Mirza Begic and Sasu Salin, so we expected a tough game. We started the game well and we controlled it. Also, we did a great job on their best players Janis Timma and Gerald Robinson in the first half. After halftime, in the third quarter, we had a crisis, but then we started playing at a high level again and regained control of game, closing it with a win."

Players

KURUCS, RODIONS

VEF Riga

"I think we were tired today, it could be seen on the defensive end. After a slow start we tried to come back, but unfortunately we couldn't get it done."

HROVAT, GREGOR

Union Olimpija Ljubljana

"It was a hard and difficult game. We started good and played well on defense allowing them to score only 28 points in the first half. In the third quarter we had a blackout, but in the end we stuck together and got an important win. This win now allows us more to concentrate on the ABA Liga, as we have a good situation in Eurocup."