Cluj Napoca played a great game in front of their fans and defeated Lietkabelis in a thrilling finish with a score of 120:111 after overtime.
Although the Lithuanian team opened the game with an 8-0 run, they scored only two points in the next five minutes, allowing the home team to punish them and take a 16-10 lead. We had the opportunity to see three more lead changes, and after ten minutes of play, Lietkabelis led over Cluj by 23-20.
The second quarter offered the worst period of play for the team led by Nenad Canak from the bench. As a result, they trailed 44-36 after scoring only 13 points in the first half. The trend of poor play continued for Lietkabelis in the third period, and Cluj did not miss the opportunity to punish them adequately. At one point, they had a maximum lead of 17, and they entered the decisive ten minutes with a 74-59 lead.
The last quarter offered a real drama and exceptional play from Lietkabelis. This allowed them to fully get back into the game. Deividas Syrvidis hit almost every shot in the fourth quarter, and collectively, in the first nine minutes of the final quarter, they made eight of nine field goal attempts. With just over 40 seconds left, it was tied at 92:92.
Then, D.J. Seeley hit two free throws. Gediminas Orelik tied the game in the next attack, but with 15 seconds left, Seeley took responsibility again and made a three-pointer for 97:94. Then Syrvidis equalized from the free-throw line for overtime.
Drama was also seen in the additional five minutes. D.J. Seeley led his team to a two-possession lead several times, but Lietkabelis, with aggressive defense and full-court pressing, managed to reduce the deficit to two points, 112:110. Meanwhile, Nenad Canak also received a technical foul for dissent. Everything was decided when Jarrell Eddie hit a three-pointer for 115:109, securing the home team’s victory.
The top scorer in the winning team was D.J. Seeley with 25 points, while Jarrell Eddie stopped at 20. For the team that left the court as the defeated, Deividas Syrvidis stood out, scoring 29 points, and Gediminas Orelik stopped at 22.
In the next EuroCup round, Lietkabelis will play against Budućnost, while Cluj Napoca will visit Turk Telekom.
Paris defeated Cedevita Olimpija with a score of 77:93 in the ninth round of the EuroCup, leaving the team from Ljubljana with a record of 0-9.
The match started quite slowly, with both teams making a lot of mistakes. Cedevita Olimpija couldn’t find a proper offensive rhythm, and Paris led 10-5. The Ljubljana team then equalized through Rok Radovic and D.J. Stewart. Simone Pianigiani’s team continued in the same rhythm, making an 11-0 run. After a basket by Justin Cobbs, coach Toumas Iisalo called a timeout. T.J. Shorts entered the game and calmed down the Paris attack. After the first ten minutes, the score was 26-25 for the team in green and orange jerseys.
The second quarter was much more quality in terms of both teams’ offenses. It was a back-and-forth game, with both teams scoring mostly from the paint. Nadir Hifi broke the scoring streak with free throws and a three-pointer, and then, in a fast break, added more points, making it 36-31 for Paris at that moment. After that, we witnessed a kind of lull. Both teams shot a lot of free throws until the end of this part of the game, and it was 48-44 for Paris.
Then there was a good period for the team from the French capital. They made a 6-0 run at the beginning of the third quarter. Another 7-0 run followed, giving them a 10-point lead, which was the largest for Paris. However, the team from Ljubljana reduced the deficit to six points as Klemen Prepelic hit a three-pointer from eight meters. After 30 minutes of basketball, the score was 67-61 for the Finnish coach’s team.
Shorts had an incredible sequence at the beginning of the last quarter. First, he blocked Shawn Jones, then threw an alley-oop to Leon Kratzer on the other end. Jaka Blazic scored the first points for Slovenian team on the other side. The collapse of the team led by the Italian coach continued. Shorts did everything on the other end, and Paris reached a 12-point lead for the first time. It seemed like Paris was blocking almost every attack by Olimpija’s players. Paris was convincing until the end, and the game ended with a score of 93-74.
The North Macedonian was the standout performer for the Finnish coach’s team, with 17 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. He was followed by Hifi with 15 points. On the other side, Cobbs had 18 points.