Cluj stymied Manresa's third-quarter rally to secure a comfortable victory
Learning from past issues, Cluj blasts past Manresa
Spielbericht
3 Lesezeit
Regular Season
Round 7 of 18
Regular Season
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U-BT Cluj-NapocaUBT
11086
BAXI ManresaMAN
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Overview
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One of the things that separates good teams from title contenders is their ability to recognize recurring problems and find effective solutions to them. U-BT Cluj-Napoca did exactly that on its way to a 110-86 home win over BAXI Manresa at Nove PG Arena in nearby Turda, Romania. After a near-perfect first half, Cluj playmaker Fatts Russell identified a potential issue and how to address it.
Cluj led 57-41 at halftime, matching the club's first-half scoring record. It had previously scored that amount in the first half of a 105-83 home loss against Prometey Slobozhanske on December 14, 2022. After leading 51-57 at the break, CLuj was outscored by Prometey 54-25 after the break.
Three players already had PIRs of 14 or better. Despite averaging 8.2 points in his previous six games, Trey Woodbury had 15 points at halftime. Russell contributed 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists by in the first two quarters. Dusan Miletic added 6 points and 6 rebounds. Cluj had outrebounded Manresa 21-14 and made 13 of 19 two-pointers (68.4% 2FG), 7 of 14 three-pointers (50% 3FG), and forced 10 first-half turnovers.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach Ergin Ataman would probably call this "perfect basketball," but at halftime, Russell had other ideas.
"We did a really good job. I feel like we have to cut down our turnovers but that's kind of a risk with how fast we play. As long as we keep playing defense and hold them under 40 [points] in the second half, we will be fine," Russell said. "We have to come out strong in the third quarter. We have been struggling in the third quarter before. If we put the emphasis on that, we will be fine."
Russell was right: Cluj saw more than half of its lead disappear in the opening 3 minutes of the second half. Grant Golden and Louis Olinde quickly helped Manresa get within 59-53. Cluj responded through an unstoppable Woodbury, who laid the foundation for a career-best performance. The hosts' most experienced players stepped up at the right time, as Jeffery Taylor, Patrick Richard, and Miletic quickly helped Cluj restore a 77-62 margin—more than enough to control the game until the final buzzer.
Woodbury finished the game with a career-high 26 points. Russell added 23 and Miletic tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds. The three players combined for a PIR of 75, almost as much as Manresa as a team (86). Cluj set a club record for most points in a non-overtime game. It beat Neptunas Klaipeda 102-107 earlier this season behind 37 points from Russell. It also matched a club record with 28 assists. It had that many assists in a 104-83 home victory over Veolia Towers Hamburg on January 3, 2025.
The game could have gone South for Cluj in the third quarter, but the team turned a potentially dangerous situation into a blowout win, which is a great sign in the future.
