Cedevita conquers first win

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana recorded its first win in the 2019-20 7DAYS EuroCup by downing Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul 72-76 in Group C on the road on Wednesday. Cedevita improved to 1-5 in the standings while Darussafaka dropped to 3-3. Filip Kruslin led the winners with 17 points. Mikael Hopkins aded 15, Codi Miller-McIntyre barely missed a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists while Jaka Blazic had 10 points for Olimpija. Gary Browne led Darussafaka with 17 points. Johnathan Hamilton added 12, Dorom Lamb 11 while Dogus Ozdemiroglu and Jarrod Jones each had 10 for the hosts. Lamb, Jones and Browne shined early to give Darussafaka a double-digit lead, 26-13. Kruslin buried three shots from downtown in an 1-13 run that put Olimpija ahead, 25-26, early in the second quarter. Miller-McIntyre and Hopkins stepped up to improve the guests' margin, 39-46, at halftime. Back-to-back triples by Kruslin made it an 11-point game, 46-57, midway through the third quarter. Ozdemiroglu and Hamilton brought Darussafaka within 60-63 after 30 minutes. Hopkins and Blazic allowed Olimpija to keep a narrow yet safe margin until the final buzzer.

Andrija Stipanovic got Olimpija going with consecutive layups but three-pointers by Lamb and Browne allowed Darussafaka to get an 8-4 lead. Blazic stepped up with a layup-plus-foul but Mahir Agva scored down low and Jones followed a triple with a dunk to make Olimpija call timeout at 15-7. Lamb soon insisted from downtown to make it a double-digit game, 20-9. Miller-McIntyre and Browne traded baskets and Ryan Boatright brought the guests within 22-13. Kruslin struck twice from beyond the arc for a 25-19 Olimpija deficit after 10 minutes. Hopkins and Maik Zirbes each scored around the basket early in the second quarter and another three-pointer by Kruslin put Olimpija back ahead, 25-26, after a 1-13 run. A red hot Kruslin erased Hamilton's put-back slam with a fast break layup, making the hosts call timeout at 27-28. Bonzie Colson dunked and Browne added a step-back jumper but Hopkins and Miller-McIntyre fueled a 0-7 run that made Olimpija regain the lead, 31-36. Hamilton and Lamb tried to change things for Darussafaka but a three-point play by Hopkins and a bomb from downtown by Miller-McIntyre boosted their team's lead 39-46 at halftime. A tip-in by Zirbes and a three-pointer by Marko Simonovic made it a double-digit game, 41-51, soon after the break. Erkan Veyseloglu scored in penetration and Jones added a three-point play but Kruslin struck twice from beyond the arc to force Darussafaka to stop the game at 46-57. Ozdemiroglu and Browne led an 8-0 run that brought the hosts within 54-57. Boatright sank a triple and Stipanovic added a layup but a dunk by Hamilton made it a one-point game, 60-61. Boatright helped Olimpija restore a 60-63 margin after 30 minutes. Blazic took over early in the fourth quarter but Colson and Agva kept the hosts within 63-66 with over 7 minutes left. Hopkins scored around the basket and Miller-McIntyre restored a 63-70 Olimpija lead. A put-back dunk by Hamilton and a three-pointer by Ozdemiroglu gave Darussafaka hope, 68-72, in the next-to-last minute. A put-back dunk by Sinan Guler got Darussafaka within 72-75 with 5.5 seconds left but Blazic sealed the outcome from the foul line.

Pivotal performer

Kruslin came off the bench and scored 17 points, as many as he had totalled in all previous games. He buried 5 three-point shots on his way to 17 points and added 2 rebounds, an assists and a foul drawn for a PIR of 12.

Game-changing moment

It looked like an easy night in the office for Darussafaka, as it led 26-13 late in the first quarter. Kruslin buried three shots from beyond the arc in an 1-13 run that allowed Olimpija to get the lead, 27-28. It was a different game from then on, and Olimpija ended up getting its first win.

Stellar stat

Before the game, Darussafaka ranks second in rebounds (40.8 rpg.) and Olimpija was 21st (31.6 rpg.). Tonight, Olimpija outrebounded Darussafaka by 26-43, pulling down 13 offensive rebounds.

Did you notice?

Miller-McIntyre was one assist away from recording the 8th-ever triple-double in EuroCup history. The last player to record a triple-double was Quino Colom of UNICS Kazan, who had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on December 9, 2015.

Next game:

Both teams return to 7DAYS EuroCup action next week. Darussafaka visits Nanterre 92 on Tuesday, November 12 at 20:45 CET. Olimpija hosts UNICS Kazan on Wednesday, November 13 at 18:30 CET.