Cedevita Olimpija — Hapoel Jerusalem: 64:75, EuroCup Basketball

Hapoel Jerusalem beat Cedevita Olimpija 75 to 64 in the EuroCup on Tuesday evening in Ljubljana. The visitors extended their unbeaten run to eight games and kept themselves clear at the top of the table, while the hosts dropped further behind. By then it was already evident that Jerusalem had the better of the match, even if Olimpija refused to lie down.

Olimpija started brightly enough, and here's the thing — they led at one stage before the visitors pulled away. Jerusalem came back with more composure, switching to a back three that disrupted the home side's rhythm. The old head settled them down when the game threatened to slip away, and they saw it out from there.

What we called for beforehand — the away win — came through. We had placed it at 56 per cent confidence, and to be fair, the numbers backed that up. Jerusalem's free throws told the story: 22 from 35 compared with Olimpija's 11 from 19. Those extra points from the line made the difference when the match was balanced.

The statistics show a tight contest in other areas. Olimpija won the rebound battle with 28 to 37, but Jerusalem's assists — 17 to 12 — revealed better ball movement. The visitors also took more field goal attempts, 54 to 65, while Olimpija found more success from distance with seven three-pointers against five.

Jerusalem now sit top with 13 wins from 18 games, two points clear of second place. Olimpija remain third with 12 victories, but the gap to the leaders has grown. The hosts have lost three of their last five, while the visitors have won four of five — including that heavy defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv which they seem to have put behind them.