Olimpija beats Nanterre in Group D

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana collected a 75-63 victory over short-handed Nanterre 92 in the Slovenian capital on Wednesday. Olimpija improved to 2-2 in the standings, while Nanterre dropped to 1-4. Rion Brown led the winners with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Edo Muric added 12 points, Mikael Hopkins had 11 and Kendrick Perry scored 10 points and dished 10 assists for Olimpija. Ivan Fevrier led Nanterre with 23 points. Chris Warren had 14 while Brian Conklin added 12 for the visitors, who led 7-15 early on. Olimpija soared to a 40-28 margin at halftime and kept a double-digit most of the way until the final buzzer.

Jaka Blazic needed just 3 seconds to get Olimpija going with a layup. Fevrier and Florian Fortas each struck from downtown to put Nanterre ahead, 2-7. Jarrod Jones and Warren joined the three-point shootout before Fevrier followed a running hook with another triple to keep the guests in charge, 7-15. Jones and Perry fueled a 6-0 run which Brown capped with a layup for a 13-15 score. Conklin followed a layup with a turnaround jumper, but Hopkins and Muric helped Olimpija regain the lead, 20-19, after 10 minutes. Fevrier insisted from downtown early in the second quarter. Hopkins answered with an alley-oop dunk, Alen Hodzic took over with a put-back basket and Brown scored twice around the basket, prompting Nanterre to stop the game at 28-24. Brown kept pushing Olimpija with a three-pointer and Perry erased Tyler Stone's dunk with a driving layup. Fevrier scored in transition, but Muric hit one from beyond the arc for a 36-28 Olimpija lead. Ivan Marinkovic and Brown made it a double-digit game, 40-28, at halftime.

Conklin downed a turnaround jumper soon after the break. Warren improved on Blazic's layup with a three-point play, but Brown restored a 44-33 Olimpija lead. Hopkins and Perry stepped up for the hosts, however, Conklin brought Nanterre within 48-37. Hopkins dunked, but Fevrier and Warren combined for all the points in a 0-6 run that caused Olimpija to stop the game at 50-43. Hodzic struck from downtown and Hopkins added a three-point play. Victor Wembanyama and Conklin answered to make it 58-48. Three-pointers by Muric and Fevrier - from midcourt at the buzzer - fixed the score at 61-51 after 30 minutes. Marinkovic banked in a jump hook early in the fourth quarter and Muric added a triple that broke the game open, 66-51. Fevrier sank his fifth shot from downtown, but Marinkovic and Jones kept Olimpija way ahead, 70-56. Wembanyama provided a highlight with an alley-oop slam before Jones and Perry sealed the outcome, 74-58, with 3 minutes remaining.

Pivotal performer

Rion Brown came off the bench and made the difference for Olimpija at both ends of the floor. He finished the game with 17 points on 5-of-7 two-point shooting plus 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 28.

Game-changing moment

Nanterre had a great start and led 7-15 midway through the first quarter. Jones and Perry stepped up for Olimpija, igniting a 13-4 run which Muric capped with a bomb from downtown that gave the hosts their first lead since the opening tip, 20-19. Nanterre kept fighting, but Olimpija had stolen the game's momentum and kept it for good.

Stellar stat

Olimpija outrebounded Nanterre 52-39. It was 1 shy of the club record; Olimpija had 53 rebounds against Cimberio Varese on October 13, 2013. Olimpija also had 18 assists and 8 turnovers, better numbers than Nanterre, which finished the game with 11 assists and 11 turnovers.

Did you know?

Top prospect Victor Wembanyama saw his first minutes in the EuroCup this season and produced 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and a PIR of 12 in 17 minutes. Wembanyama, age 16, already impressed at the 2019-20 ANGT qualifier in Kaunas where he averaged 15.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 6.0 blocks in four games with U18 Nanterre 92.

Next game

Both teams returning to 7DAYS EuroCup action next week - on Wednesday, November 11. Cedevita visits Frutti Extra Bursaspor, and Nanterre hosts Herbalife Gran Canaria.