The home team brushed aside its Turkish rival after the break
Cedevita's strong second half lifted it past Besiktas
Article
3 Mins read
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana booked a BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals berth with a 96-86 victory over visiting Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul after wiping out a 13-point first-half deficit as several home players stepped up in a thrilling matchup.
The outcome marks a tremendous improvement for the Slovenian side, which finished on a dismal 1-17 record last season. Fine performances during the regular season saw Cedevita clinch a postseason berth and the Slovenian side will now face Bahcesehir College Istanbul for a semifinal spot, having pulled off a great escape against more fancied Besiktas.
The hosts were subdued through most of the first half as Besiktas ran their defense rugged with lightning transition which yielded a barrage of easy points. Trailing 34-47 late in the first half, Cedevita stayed alive with an 8-2 run which paved the way for a monster second half, particularly the fourth quarter in which the Turkish team’s offense was ground to a halt.
Game Videos
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Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Quarterfinals Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
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Stipanovic finds Radovic! Magic Moment
- 00:36
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Devin Robinson: 'We're making history again'
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Besiktas Fibabank Istabul | Eighthfinals Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:16
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Plavsic at it again! Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Plavsic violates the rim! Magic Moment
- 00:11
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What a dunk from Sleva! Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Allman gets airborne! Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Plavsic with a superb dunk! Magic Moment
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Veolia Towers Hamburg-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul-Dolomiti Energia Trento | Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:17
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Stewart dunks with force! Magic Moment
- 00:08
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Allman dunks on the fly! Magic Moment
- 00:14
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Terry bends the rim! Magic Moment
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Dreamland Gran Canaria-Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul | Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:19
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Needham finds Plavsic on his back! Magic Moment
- 00:31
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FLYING BLOCK! Magic Moment of the Night
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Valencia Basket | Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:16
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Robinson destroys the rim! Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Stewart launches Beringer for the slam! Magic Moment
- 00:16
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Robinson flies high to stop Puerto! Magic Moment
- 00:16
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Stewart blocks, Beringer dunks! Magic Moment
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Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul-Trefl Sopot | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
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Uros Plavsic powers the alley-oop! Magic Moment
- 00:29
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DJ Stewart with a ferocious slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:26
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Plavsic with great vision! Magic Moment
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7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 01:15
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Evan Fournier: 'We really needed to dig deep tonight'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/lS-5zq9D4OM/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 21 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
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Vezenkov’s over-the-head dish to Fall! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Hall rejects Fournier! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:07
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Luwawu-Cabarrot stops McKissic! Motorola Magic Moment
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Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul-Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius | Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:15
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Beringer soars for alley-oop jam! Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Lemar squeezes in for a tough bucket! Magic Moment
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Joventut Badalona-Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul | Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Aris Thessaloniki | Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b987a68e-3099-4304-9828-25d88a88c3f9.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A106%3A105]()
What an assist from Tasic! Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Terry throws it down! Magic Moment
- 00:16
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Stipanovic and Robinson at it again! Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Big dunk srom DJ Stewart! Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Devin Robinson with a superb put-back! Magic Moment
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ratiopharm Ulm-Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul | Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Valencia Basket-7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys | Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul | Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Turk Telekom Ankara | Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
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Stewart dunks off a steal! Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Robinson throws it down! Magic Moment
Devin Robinson led Cedevita’s charge with 21 points and 12 boards, shooting 9 of 15 from inside, while Brynton Lemar chipped in with 20 as he was a perfect 13 of 13 from the foul line.
“The intensity was hard but we came together and the fans came in our support,” Robinson said in his postgame comments after a strength-sapping contest in the Stozice Arena.
“We played at a high level, we didn’t give up and it was a great night overall. We are making history again as we’ve been written off for so many years and this year we have a great opportunity to make something happen,” he added.
Cedevita head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic was pretty much lost for words after seeing his team stage a valiant fightback in the face of adversity, prevailing 28-17 in the fourth quarter to turn the tide.
“Congrats to both teams, it was a great performance by both sides,” he said. “We grabbed the game after falling behind and won.”
Mitrovic’s Besiktas counterpart, Dusan Alimpijevic, conceded that Cedevita was a worthy winner after his team’s hopes of at least emulating last season’s achievement when it reached the semifinals, were dashed against an inspired Cedevita outfit.
“It was a well-deserved win for Cedevita, we failed to manage the things we had agreed upon,” a grim-faced Alimpijevic said. “We had some good moments but it wasn’t enough as they had two players scoring 41 points between them. Congrats to Cedevita and I wish them luck in the next round.”