EC: Cedevita Olimpija and Budućnost VOLI Fall in Dramatic Fashion

It was a night of heartbreak in the BKT EuroCup for both Cedevita Olimpija and Budućnost VOLI, as the two AdmiralBet ABA League representatives suffered painful defeats decided by the smallest of margins.

Cedevita Olimpija came agonizingly close to completing a major comeback in front of their home crowd, but eventually fell to Hapoel Jerusalem, 81:84. The Dragons found themselves trailing from the very start of the game, at times facing a double-digit deficit, as the visitors controlled the tempo for long stretches of the contest.

Refusing to surrender, the Ljubljana side slowly chipped away at the gap and turned the final minutes into a true thriller. With five seconds remaining and Cedevita Olimpija down by three points, Aleksej Nikolić - the team’s top scorer on the night  pulled up for a potential game-tying three-pointer. The shot, however, rattled off the rim, and the home team was left just one possession away from forcing overtime.

Meanwhile, Budućnost VOLI suffered an equally dramatic loss on the road, falling 91:90 to Trento in an overtime thriller. The Podgorica side battled through 40 minutes of intense basketball and pushed the game into extra time, where every possession carried enormous weight.

The decisive moment came with just 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime, when Budućnost VOLI committed a foul on a three-point attempt by DJ Steward. Jerry Boutsiele was whistled for the foul, sending Steward to the free-throw line. Under immense pressure, Steward made just one of his three free throws - but that single point proved decisive, as it gave Trento a narrow victory.

Following tonight’s results, both Cedevita Olimpija and Budućnost VOLI now share an identical overall record of 7-4 in the BKT EuroCup.

2025/26 BKT EuroCup, Regular Season, Round 1, Tuesday, December 16, 2025:

Cedevita Olimpija – HAPOEL MIDTOWN JERUSALEM 81:84 (15:20, 18:24, 16:15, 32:25)
Nikolić 27, Gibson 18 | Harper 21, Lamb 14.

DOLOMITI ENERGIA TRENTO – Budućnost VOLI 91:90 (16:17, 26:19, 12:21, 26:23, 11:10)
Jones 19, Steward 14 | Ferrell 23, Tanasković 12. Kovliar 12.

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

U-BT Cluj-Napoca – Neptunas Klaipeda (17:00)