May 21, 2013
Regular Season Game 5 - November 27, 2008 CET: 20:30 Local time: 20:30 - TIVOLI ARENA
Union Olimpija 77 - 69 Alba Berlin

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
0-4 Regular Season 2-2
0-4 Overall 2-2

Referees

Crew Chief
FACCHINI, FABIO, Italy
Referee
NESKOVIC, DRAGAN, Serbia
Umpire
ZASHCHUK, SERGIY, Ukraine

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
77.0 Points 70.0
34.8 Rebounds 32.5
12.0 O. Rebounds 10.8
22.8 D. Rebounds 21.8
10.0 Assists 10.5
6.0 Steals 6.3
2.3 Blocks 1.5
14.3 Turnovers 14.3
47.9 % 2PT 53.5 %
34.1 % 3PT 30.3 %
64.1 % FT 61.7 %
67.0 Index 70.3
Team Stats - Union Olimpija
Team Stats - Alba Berlin

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
16.3 / Ilievski Points 12.5 / McELROY, IMMANUEL
7.0 / Begic Rebounds 6.3 / McELROY, IMMANUEL
3.5 / Begic OR 3.0 / McELROY, IMMANUEL
3.5 / Begic DR 3.8 / CHUBB, ADAM
2.0 / MILIC, MARKO Assists 2.0 / McELROY, IMMANUEL
1.3 / Ilievski Steals 1.0 / HAMANN, STEFFEN
2.0 / Begic Blocks 0.5 / SESAY, ANSU
3.8 / Ilievski Turnovers 3.0 / McELROY, IMMANUEL
71.4 % / OZBOLT, SASO 2PT 66.7 % / McELROY, IMMANUEL
41.7 % / WALLACE, JONATHAN 3PT 54.5 % / JENKINS, JULIUS
100.0 % / OZBOLT, SASO FT 92.9 % / CHUBB, ADAM
18.8 / Begic Index 14.3 / McELROY, IMMANUEL
Team Roster - Union Olimpija
Team Roster - Alba Berlin

THE TAKE

Two teams with a common goal are ready to battle each other in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where Union Olimpija hosts Alba Berlin in a Group C showdown on Thursday. Olimpija is still looking for its first win, while Alba is fifth in Group C with a 2-2 record. Alba travels to Slovenia without scoring ace Julius Jenkins, so three-point threat Casey Jacobsen and do-it-all swingman Immanuel McElroy will see extended time on court and Phillip Zweiner and versatile forward Aleksandar Nadjfeji could also seeing playing time at the wings. Olimpija does not expect forwards Jasmin Hukic and Marko Milic to play, but signed Ivica Jurkovic to step up at the '4' spot. Without Hukic around, Saso Ozbolt and Jaka Klobucar will share minutes at shooting guard, testing their shooting skills against Jacobsen. Meanwhile, Damjan Rudez and Frank Robinson seem the right men to guard McElroy. Vlado Ilievski is expected to play despite his physical problems, as playmaker Jonathan Wallace was released last week. He will be his team's full-time point guard against Rashad Wright and Steffen Hamann. Olimpija, however, is really deep around the baskets and the addition of Jurkovic proves it. Mirza Begic has been unstoppable so far this season while Vladimir Golubovic underwent an adjustment period and is now ready to offer post skills and power. Center Miha Zupan is ready to come off the bench to provide rebounds and deep range as a great complement for either Golubovic or Begic. Alba has center Patrick Femerling back, ready to guard Begic. Ansu Sesay is set to test his all-around skills against Zupan, while Adam Chubb and former Olimpija forward Dragisa Drobnjak fill out the frontline. Olimpija needs to slow down the game tempo and get its frontcourt involved, as Golubovic and Begic are quite effective in the low post. Meanwhile, Alba needs to play pressure on Ilievski, as Olimpija has no other point guard available, as well as trying to run the break with McElroy as its key player. As usual, the basketball atmosphere will be nothing but extraordinary in the Slovenian capital, so expect an exciting and intense game in Ljubljana.

GAME QUOTES

Union Olimpija
  • Guard Vlado Ilievski’s next steal will give him 150 for his Euroleague Basketball career. He ranks 12th among active players in that category.
  • Big man Vladimir Golubovic played under current Alba Berlin head coach Luka Pavicevic on the Serbia and Montenegro national team at the under-20 European championships in 2005 in Russia. That team took home the bronze medal. Current teammate Mirza Begic (Slovenia) and Damjan Rudez (Croatia) as well as Phillip Zwiener (Germany) of Alba Berlin also took part in the tourney.
Alba Berlin
  • Forward Dragisa Drobnjak returns to Ljubljana this week. Drobnjak played two seasons for Olimpija between 2004 and 2006, helping the club win a pair of Slovenian League titles and two Slovenian Cups. This will be the first time facing his former club since leaving. Olimpija has undergone a total overhaul since Drobnjak was here and the only player on the current roster that he played with is Saso Ozbolt.
  • Alba Berlin has lost 14 consecutive Euroleague games on the road dating back to October 2002. The last road win for Berlin was against AEK Athens.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

DZIKIC, ALEKSANDAR
Union Olimpija
"Alba started the Euroleague with a 2-2 while we are 0-4. Of course we are not in a good mood, that's why I hope that Thursday will be the day when we can get our first win. We need it for our self-confidence and most of all, so that the team can go back to positive status. We need a lot of positive energy to get out of this results crisis. I insist on the results crisis concept, as it is not a play crisis, as during this losing streak of seven games we have never been thrashed on the court. I hope that my players go onto the court with cold heads and hearts on Thursday."
PAVICEVIC, LUKA
Alba Berlin
"In this group of six excellent teams, which in my opinion is the most balanced and therefore most difficult one of the four groups, we are approaching every game one at a time to collect enough wins in order to move forward. In this group it is very easy to play good and have no wins, which is what happened to Ljubljana. At home against Tau as well as in their double overtime loss in Istanbul, they were good for a win, but they could not collect a win. Now they have four losses, but their record of 0-4 does not give an exact picture of how they played. Ljubljana is a very difficult home court. They have been playing in the Euroleague for a decade and more and are used to playing there on an equal level with the best teams. So we have to be ready mentally and physically to answer the responsibilities against an opponent, that will come out strong to use the last chance to turn the season around."

Players

OZBOLT, SASO
Union Olimpija
"Even though Alba was not on the possible Top 16 candidates at the start of the season in Group C, things have changed for them. We must take this win with us and I hope we will give our best on the court to achieve it. We have to play for the 40 minutes and not only 35, and then hope for everything to turn out as planned."
NADJFEJI, ALEKSANDAR
Alba Berlin
"Going to Ljubljana I expect a really tough game. They have lost seven games in a row and now they, of course, are looking for a chance to start winning games again. Therefore, I think, they will be extra motivated. We need to be focused to do everything we prepared in the practice, because a victory in Ljubljana will be very important for us, if we want to go to the next round. Winning on the road is difficult, but I hope that we have learned from our first two road games. In Istanbul we had a chance to win, but in the end lost control in the crucial moment of the game. I think, we now know better, what we have to do, but nevertheless it is going to be very tough."
Miha Zupan - Union OlimpijaMiha Zupan scored 19 points as Union Olimpija notched its first victory of the Euroleague, beating Alba Berlin convincingly at home 77-69 in Group C. Union improved to 1-4 in the group while Berlin dropped to 2-3. Mirza Sarajlija added 13 points for Olimpija while Vladimir Golubovic added 7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. The Slovenian side used a torrid 10-of-18 on three-pointers in the first half to grab the lead and always had an answer for every Berlin attempt to come back. Rashad Wright tallied 19 points in a losing effort while Ansu Sesay had 15 points for Berlin, which was missing injured guard Julius Jenkins. Berlin’s next game will be at Lottomatica Roma while Olimpija hosts DKV Joventut.

Mirza Begic dunked and converted a three-point play to start the game for the hosts. Zupan nailed a triple to make it 6-0 early. Adam Chubb finally put the German side on the board only to see Zupan hit again from long range for a 9-2 lead. Sesay had a three-point play for Berlin but Saso Ozbolt’s triple gave the Union a 14-5 advantage. Sesay answered with a long ball of his own, which Ozbolt matched for a 17-8 cushion, causing Berlin to call a time-out. Sesay and Zupan swapped three-pointers again and Olimpija led 21-11. Wright nailed a three-ball for Alba. But Damjan Rudez struck right back from long range. Wright was again on target from the right wing for a trey to make it 26-19. Zupan however put back an offensive rebound to give Olimpija a 28-19 lead after one period.

Ansu Sesay - Alba BerlinSarajlija opened the second quarter with yet another triple for the Slovenian side for a 31-19 cushion. Patrick Femerling’s three-point play trimmed it back to nine points and a Wright foul shot made it 31-23. Sarajlija hit yet another long ball for the 34-23 advantage. It was still a 35-25 Union lead as both teams struggled to execute offensively for a couple of minutes. Immanuel McElroy made two foul shots to cut the deficit to eight points but Olimpija was again on target from long range – this time by Ivica Jurkovic. And then Vlado Ilievski hit from downtown as well for a 41-29 advantage. And Rudez’s lay-up pushed the lead to a first-half high of 13 points 43-30, which Sesay trimmed to 43-32 at the break.

Chubb opened the scoring in the second half and Wright’s triple cut the margin to 43-37. Ilievski made two free throws and then Sesay picked up his fourth foul with more than seven minutes left in the third. And Ozbolt’s jumper pushed the advantage back into double figures – 47-37. Golubovic and Zupan both threw down dunks and Zupan knocked down a triple as Union increased its lead to 54-37. Aleksandar Nadjfeji and Golubovic swapped foul shots and then Steffen Hamann and Wright both hit fast break lay-ups as Berlin edged to within 56-44. But Sarajlica and Frank Robinson scored baskets as Olimpija led 60-44 after three periods.

Berlin knew it had a long way to go to come back and Sesay tipped off the fourth quarter with a basket only to see Sarajlija nail a three-pointer to make it 64-46. Hamann converted a three-point play but Union had an answer yet again with Zupan hitting a layup and a foul shot for a 66-49 lead. Alba refused to give up with McElroy hitting a triple and Nadjfeji putting in a lay-up only to see Robinson convert a layup for the hosts and Sarajlija hit two foul shots. After Nadjfeji’s two free throws, McElroy dunked and then Dragan Dojcin hit a triple to trim the deficit to 70-61 with less than three minutes left. Olimpija however had the answer one more time with Jasmin Hukic dropping a three-pointer of his own. And it was 75-61 after Ivica Jurkovic’s free throws with just more than two minutes left. Two Wright foul shots and a Wright three-ball cut the deficit to 75-67 with just more than a minute to play. And Ilievski made two foul shots to finish off the game.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Euroleague.net
Referees: FACCHINI, FABIO (ITA), NESKOVIC, DRAGAN (SRB), ZASHCHUK, SERGIY (UKR)
Attendance: 4000
By Quarter1234
Union Olimpija28151717
Alba Berlin19131225
End of Quarter1234
Union Olimpija28436077
Alba Berlin19324469
Head coach: DZIKIC, ALEKSANDAR
Union Olimpija
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
 3FG
M-A
 FT
M-A
 Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
6 ILIEVSKI, VLADO 30:45 7 0/1 1/6 4/4   1 1 4   3     3 2 2
8 KLOBUCAR, JAKA DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
9 RUDEZ, DAMJAN 11:05 5 1/1 1/1     1 1 1         2   5
11 JURKOVIC, IVICA 14:25 5 0/1 1/2 2/2   2 2 1   1     4 1 2
13 HUKIC, JASMIN 11:19 3 0/1 1/4     1 1 1         1    
14 ROBINSON, FRANK 28:55 5 2/5 0/1 1/2 2 5 7 1 1 1     4 2 6
15 BEGIC, MIRZA 4:44 5 2/3   1/1   2 2       1     2 9
16 SARAJLIJA, MIRZA 19:18 13 1/2 3/6 2/2 2 1 3   2 5     3 4 10
20 RADOJEVIC, DEJAN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
21 GOLUBOVIC, VLADIMIR 18:45 7 1/5   5/10 4 2 6   2   1 1 3 8 11
24 ZUPAN, MIHA 29:29 19 3/3 4/7 1/3 1 1 2   1 1     2 3 17
31 OZBOLT, SASO 31:15 8 1/2 2/6     3 3 1 1 1 1   2   6
Team                                
Totals 200:00 77 11/24 13/33 16/24 9 19 28 9 7 12 3 1 24 22 68
45.8% 39.4% 66.7%
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Head coach: PAVICEVIC, LUKA
Alba Berlin
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
 3FG
M-A
 FT
M-A
 Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 JACOBSEN, CASEY 31:42   0/3 0/3     6 6   2 4   2 3 1 -6
5 HERBER, JOHANNES DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6 HAMANN, STEFFEN 24:53 6 2/3 0/1 2/3   2 2 1 1 2     1 3 7
7 ZWIENER, PHILLIP 2:19           1 1           2   -1
8 DOJCIN, DRAGAN 7:16 4 0/1 1/1 1/2 1 2 3           2 3 6
9 SESAY, ANSU 25:31 15 4/7 2/3 1/1 1 2 3 2   3     4 1 10
12 WRIGHT, RASHAD 25:07 19 2/6 4/5 3/4 3 3 6   2 1     1 4 23
13 FEMERLING, PATRICK 14:36 4 1/2   2/2 1 2 3     1 1   1 3 8
14 CHUBB, ADAM 6:35 4 2/3       1 1     2     4 1 -1
21 DROBNJAK, DRAGISA DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
23 McELROY, IMMANUEL 35:34 9 2/5 1/4 2/2 1 1 2 3   1   1 1 1 6
32 NADJFEJI, ALEKSANDAR 26:27 8 2/6   4/6   2 2 2         3 7 10
Team                                
Totals 200:00 69 15/36 8/17 15/20 7 22 29 8 5 14 1 3 22 24 62
41.7% 47.1% 75%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

DZIKIC, ALEKSANDAR
Union Olimpija
"Thanks to our fans, who have supported us during all these weeks and have believed in us. My players showed that they wanted that victory, and finally it arrived. And I, too, am quite happy that after seven consecutive losses, we finally won."
PAVICEVIC, LUKA
Alba Berlin
"We lost an ideal opportunity to win against a direct rival for the Top 16. I can't say we played badly, but we weren't sufficiently aggressive, and that has been the difference. Union Olimpija pressured us for all 40 minutes, while we played the first half, and above all the first quarter, very weakly."

Players

SARAJLIJA, MIRZA
Union Olimpija
"This has been my first Euroleague game and the sensations were amazing. I can't express how I feel after this victory. I left my heart on the court, as did all of our players."
OZBOLT, SASO
Union Olimpija
"At last we have won! This victory has been for us the last opportunity to dream about the Top 16. It wasn't easy, considering that Alba was always close and we had to be alert for all 40 minutes so as not to lose the lead that we had built up in the first quarter. I have to congratulate young Mirza Sarajlija for playing a phenomenal game."
SESAY, ANSU
Alba Berlin
"Union Olimpija won deservedly because it has been the better team during 40 minutes. We didn't play at the level necessary to have a chance to win on the road."
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