Cibona Falls to Cedevita Olimpija in Ljubljana

Cibona fell to Cedevita Olimpija 89-76 on Saturday at Tivoli Hall in Ljubljana, in the game that opened the Zagreb club's AdmiralBet ABA League campaign.

The game was dead even through the half — Cibona led 22-21 after the first quarter, and the two sides were tied 43-43 at the break. The turning point came in the third, which Olimpija won 23-15 to seize control, before closing things out with a similar 23-18 fourth quarter. Transition basketball made the difference: the hosts scored 20 fast-break points to Cibona's eight, turned Cibona's giveaways into 21 points, and also won the battle in the paint, 44-36.

Matthew Hurt led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, with Anthony Cowan adding 18 for the hosts. For Cibona, Rickey McGill was the most efficient, finishing with 15 points and five assists, Lovro Mazalin added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Vincent Trevon Mitchell made the most of his touches, going 4-for-4 from the field for 8 points.

The loss leaves Cibona at 0-1 in the AdmiralBet ABA League, while the Zagreb club remains perfect with two wins in the SuperSport Premier League. Cibona continues its season on three fronts, with the next game offering a chance to bounce back.

"I'll give Olimpija credit for the win — we matched their energy well and stayed present in our rotations. For most of the game, I think I can say I was happy with our defense in terms of rotations. Where we slipped was letting Cowan get to the rim too easily at times we couldn't afford it, and that's what eased them through that tough stretch in the third quarter. I also think we had a real breakdown in how we initiated our offense — right as they built their lead late in the third, we let the pressure get to us and struggled to run our sets. We just weren't sharp enough; the fundamentals weren't there. A little more basketball IQ, a little more attention to fundamentals — that's what has to guide us into our next games," said Cibona head coach Ivan Rudež.