The Romanian side has a top-two finish in Group B in its sights for the BKT EuroCup regular season.

Cluj Napoca took ‘another step’ towards a quarterfinal spot 

U-BT Cluj-Napoca has been surprising basketball fans all season long, having gone from missing the BKT EuroCup Playoffs in 2022-23 to now being in the driver’s seat to secure an automatic place in the quarterfinals. 

On Wednesday night, the Romanian side remained calm and cool-headed following [its thrilling 111-113 overtime win at Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/dreamland-gran-canaria-u-bt-cluj-napoca/U2023/168/), saying nothing has been accomplished yet. 

Cluj fought back from 19 points down and knocked off the reigning EuroCup champio to jump into second place with one game to go in Group B. Mihai Silvasan’s team has its fate in its own hands ahead of a pivotal Round 18 trip to 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys on February 7. 

“It was a great game, but we still have one more game to try to finish as high as we can. At the end of the day, it’s just another step,” said Cluj’s 26-year-old center Emanuel Cate, who set career highs of 23 points and a 38 PIR to go with 10 rebounds.

“We need to keep calm and keep working hard. It’s still a long season. We didn’t finish the season \[today\]. We need to stay focused,” added Cate after deciding the wild game with a tip-in with 2 seconds left on the clock. 

Second place in Group B could be decided by a thrilling showdown between direct rivals as Gran Canaria welcomes Cluj, Both are fresh from vital wins, with the all-around efforts of Patrick Richard helping Cluj beat Trento while Miquel Salvo did a similar job to help Gran Canaria dismantle Slask.

Dreamland Gran Canaria-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Round 17 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### An impressive leap this season

Cluj has improved to a 13-4 record, with its four losses being acceptable ones. It twice lost to group leader Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in Rounds 3 and 12, as well as falling by 22 points at home to Gran Canaria in Round 8 and by 11 points at Turk Telekom Ankara in Round 10, which was the start of the Turkish club’s turnaround.

All this comes just one season after Cluj debuted in the EuroCup with a 5-13 record, as it missed the playoffs by three games having lost nine of its last 11 games. 

Cluj also went 1-8 on the road in 2022-23. This season’s team – with leaders such as Patrick Richard, Karel Guzman, Andrija Stipanovic and Emanuel Cate all returning – has put together a 6-2 record away from home.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That great VICTORY feeling! 🖤🤍 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/eurocup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eurocup</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cluj?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cluj</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/haideU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#haideU</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BKTEuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BKTEuroCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/RMHmVYV5L0">pic.twitter.com/RMHmVYV5L0</a></p>&mdash; U-BT Cluj-Napoca (@UBTCluj) <a href="https://twitter.com/UBTCluj/status/1752834828796366920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"I told them in the locker room: it’s amazing what happened. But it’s amazing if we continue to build on this,” Salvasan said after the big win at Gran Canaria. “We have one more game to win in order to be second. The fight for second place is not over yet. But for our confidence this is huge step forward for us.”

Salvasan assured everyone that his team is not thinking about who it might face in the quarterfinals or even that it has already reached that stage. 

“We have the mentality to think game by game and possession by possession. That mentality brought us to this place.”  

The Romanian side has a top-two finish in Group B in its sights.

Cluj took ‘another step’ towards a quarterfinal spot 

Dreamland Gran Canaria v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2024-01-31T20:00:00.000Z)

Congratulations to Mahmoud Khalaileh, the Round 17 winner in EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Mahmoud's team, Nuaimeh 1, posted a score of 250.5 fantasy points.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 17 winner

Congratulations to Mahmoud Khalaileh, the Round 17 winner in EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Mahmoud's team, Nuaimeh 1, posted a score of 250.5 fantasy points.

 

The team featured the following lineup: team captain T.J. Shorts of Paris Basketball, Andres Feliz of Joventut Badalona, Tre'Shawn Thurman of Wolves Vilnius, Deividas Sirvydis of 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, and Karlo Matkovic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana as starters; Vassilis Toliopoulos of Aris Midea Thessaloniki as sixth man; Oleksandr Lypovyy of Prometey Slobozhanske, Luke Nelson of the London Lions, Michal Sitnik of Slask Wroclaw and Ethan Happ of Dreamland Gran Canaria on his bench; and Nenad Canal of Lietkabelis as head coach.

 

The prize for finishing first in Round 17 is a free subscription to EuroLeague TV for the 2024-25 season!

 

The overall leader after 17 rounds is Uros Kostic, whose GargamelFalkao team is ahead of everyone with 3,128.45 fantasy points.

 

Trades are now open for Round 18. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

 

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica came into [its Round 17 game against Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/buducnost-voli-conquers-aquila-basket-trento-78-97/) in real need of a win. A loss would have eliminated it from the playoff race, and even a win could become worthless in case it won by less than 3 points in regulation and both Aris Midea Thessaloniki and Turk Telekom Ankara won.

None of those things happened in the end as even though Aris prevailed at ratiopharm Ulm, Turk Telekom lost at home against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse and, most importantly, Buducnost pulled off an impressive 78-97 victory on the road to end a two-game losing streak that had put the Montenegrin side on the ropes.

“We needed the win and we won,” celebrated Buducnost head coach Andrezj Zakelj right after the final buzzer. “That's the most important \[thing\]. I think the game was tough for both teams. But I think that in the first quarter and the third quarter, we played at the level I want. And this gave us the win.”

Two of the four teams separated by just one win on the edge of Group B's playoff places collide. Trento needs a win to claim head-to-head advantage after earlier showdown, in which Yoan Moukoundou powered Buducnost with 23 points and 8 rebounds and he'll have to prepare for a battle with Paul Biligha.

Dolomiti Energia Trento-Buducnost VOLI Podgorica | Round 17 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

It was not surprising that Zakelj felt so good about the good display of his team in the odd-numbered periods, as his team outscored Trento 31-56 across both the first and the third, in addition to recording a team PIR of 77 against Trento’s 25 during those 20 minutes. Buducnost shot 10-of-13 (76.9%) from the field in the first period, while going for 13-of-17 (76.4%) in the third, including hitting 6 three-pointers out of 7 attempts (85.7%).

One of those who led Buducnost during that time span was Nikola Tanaskovic, who shattered his previous career highs in PIR and points thanks to an all-around performance of 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 5 fouls drawn, while missing just one shot in the entire game.

He finished with a PIR of 27 in just 19:24, with most of his production coming during the first and the third periods. He scored 8 points in the first 10 minutes and another 8 in the third quarter, which seems more than a coincidence when it comes to explaining Buducnost’s explosion in those moments.

“I am proud \[of my performance\], of course," he recognized. “\[I have to give\] thanks to my guys who assisted me. We did really a great job here. We came with a lot of energy, we went for every rebound, we played team defense and team offense."

More Buducnost News

Yogi Ferrell of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica looks to score Dolomiti Energia Trento in Round 17 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

A 17-39 partial score in the first 11 minutes after the intermission boosted the Montenegrin side to a life-saving win in Italy.

Buducnost used its offensive firepower to destroy Trento

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2024-01-31T19:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj Napoca and Dreamland Gran Canaria gave BKT EuroCup fans an instant classic as Cluj prevailed 111-113 in a wild overtime thriller with big comebacks, great performances and a late game-winner to boot.

Short-handed Cluj shined brightest in instant classic with Gran Canaria

U-BT Cluj Napoca and Dreamland Gran Canaria gave BKT EuroCup fans an instant classic as Cluj prevailed 111-113 in a wild overtime thriller with big comebacks, great performances and a late game-winner to boot.

Oh, and the stakes were very high as a top-two finish in the group - and a direct spot in the quarterfinals - was also up for grabs.

“For sure we didn’t expect a game like this. But for sure we will take it,” said Cluj head coach Mihai Silvasan after his team extended its winning streak to five games and a 13-4 record.

That leaves the Romanian side in second place in Group B with one round of games left - one victory ahead of Gran Canaria.

“I am really really proud about the way that my players fought in this game. We were down two main players in our team. But still, we found the resources to play against the deepest team in EuroCup - for sure in our group… We played with courage, we played with heart. We won this game with our character. I am really proud of my players. I am speechless.”

Game Videos

Already playing without starters DJ Seeley and Karel Guzman, who average 22.3 points per game combined, Cluj’s outlook seemed bleak in the first quarter as it trailed by 19 points and was down 37-20 after 10 minutes. Silvasan’s men fought back and tied the game just before the end of the first half. The game was tight throughout the third quarter and Cluj was up by 8 points in the fourth, but could not hold the lead. The game went to overtime and Cluj fans had to watch in disbelief as 2 Nicolas Brussino three-pointers evened the game with 7.5 seconds left.

That left the heroics to Cluj big man Emanuel Cate, who got into space after an Adam Mokoka missed layup to tip in the game-winner with 2 seconds to go.

“We didn’t come here to give up. We did our best. We gave our everything. Fortunately, it was enough to win. I am very proud of my teammates. We fought until the last drop of energy. And we got rewarded for our work,” said Cate, who finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks for an index rating of 38.

Both the points and PIR were new personal records for the 26-year-old.

Game News

Cate made all 9 of his shots - including making his first three-point attempt of the season - as Cluj shot 75.0% on two-pointers. 

Cate was one of four Cluj players who scored at least 21 points as Jarell Eddie had 24 points, Patrick Richard 23 and Bryce Jones picked up 21 points.

Gran Canaria got an unforgettable performance from Brussino with a career-high 30 points and Andrew Albicy added 20 points and 7 assists in the loss.

But in the end, it was the short-handed and more determined Cluj that won this instant classic.

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse advanced straight to the BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals and clinched first place in Group B by downing Turk Telekom Ankara 64-68, completing a two-year major turnaround from missing the playoffs to being a top-class EuroCup squad. 

Coach Fauthoux has led Bourg on major turnaround

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse advanced straight to the BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals and clinched first place in Group B by downing Turk Telekom Ankara 64-68, completing a two-year turnaround from missing the playoffs to being a top-class EuroCup squad.

Bourg finished the 2021-22 EuroCup Regular Season with a 6-12 record, ranking 9th out of 10 teams and missing the playoffs. Everything started to change when Bourg hired head coach Frederic Fauthoux and brought in young, interesting players like Isiaha Mike and Kevin Kokila. Last season, Bourg was the last team to lose a game, winning its opening four games and quickly getting a 6-1 record. Bourg lost track, finishing the regular season with a 9-9 record before losing to Promitheas Patras in the eighthfinals.

This season, Bourg has taken another step forward which allowed the team to be even more competitive. Bourg is the only undefeated team at home, 8-0, and has been competitive on the road, losing three games by an average margin to 5.3 points despite battling injuries all season, most notably Bodian Massa, who missed the first half of the season, and playmaker Hugo Benitez, out since Round 4 after averaging 6.5 assists and just 0.5 turnovers.

Against Turk Telekom, Bourg held off the hosts' comeback after a fantastic first half in which it did a lot of good things, outrebounding Turk Telekom by 16-21, pulling down 9 offensive boards, committing just 3 turnovers and forcing its opponent into 12 before the break. Bourg also forced Turk Telekom to miss all of its 10 shots from beyond the arc, which allowed Coach Fauthoux's team to get a 24-39 margin.

"It was a tough match. It might be because it is never easy to win on the road and that's the first goal, to win. We must play better on the offensive end because against their press, we should have played better but we won, and that is the most important tonight," Coach Fauthoux said. "We won all the games at home so we have to continue."

Bodian Massa had career-highs of 13 points and a PIR of 19 to lead Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse past Turk Telekom Ankara.

Massa has career night against Turk Telekom

Massa made his EuroCup debut in Round 10 and has been leading his team's second unit, averaging 9.1 points on solid shooting (62.2% 2FG, 82.4% FT), 4.2 rebounds and a PIR of 11.2 off the bench. Against Turk Telekom, Massa had career-highs of 13 points and 19 PIR. 

"First of all, I am happy for the win, for the team, because I think we qualified to the second round \[of playoffs\]. I worked this week a lot, I tried to fix some things in my game. All the coaches helped me and I tried to work. That was tough for me at the start of the season because I was injured and now, I started to get that rhythm which helped me in this game." 

Bourg fans were probably disappointed when their team missed the playoffs two years ago. Now, they can celebrate that Bourg is in the EuroCup quarterfinals and with the home-court advantage against all potential opponents but one: Group A champion Paris Basketball (16-1). 

Coach Fauthoux has led Bourg on major turnaround 

Turk Telekom Ankara v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2024-01-31T17:00:00.000Z)

The London Lions kept their hopes of a top-two finish alive by beating Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.

London Lions got out on the break in win over Cedevita 

The London Lions took advantage of their quick playing style [to defeat Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 85-92](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/london-lions-still-in-running-for-top-two-finish-after-85-92-comeback-win-at-cedevita/) in a physical game, as Petar Bozic’s side stayed alive in the race for a top-two spot in Group A.

London turned the ball over 14 times to the hosts’ 13 but did not allow Cedevita to really use that in its favor, with a 17-13 advantage in points off turnovers for the home side.

More importantly, the Lions pushed the ball any chance they could get, resulting in a 9-23 cushion in fastbreak points. That prevented Cedevita from setting up its defense and funneling drives at Karlo Matkovic, who nevertheless ended up blocking 5 London shots.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BIG COMEBACK WIN 😤<br><br>We’re still in the game for the second seed in <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroCup</a> group A 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreLondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreLondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/vOFFsIyY6D">pic.twitter.com/vOFFsIyY6D</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1752783785362330051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

London shot 57.8% on two-pointers and connected on 42.3% of its shots from long range. Cedevita, for its part, hit just 45.7% on two-pointers and, like London, made 11 three-pointers but that came at a 33.3% clip.

The victory gave London a 12-5 record, good for third place in the group, while Cedevita finished the regular season winless at home in nine games and dropped to 1-16.

“Every game in the EuroCup is very competitive. They only have one win but that doesn’t speak to the skill and talent level that they have. They play good basketball. They’re tough to guard. They had a couple of streaks, but we stayed resilient,” said London guard Luke Nelson, who had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for a performance index rating of 28.

“Every game is important. We’re fighting for that second place. All we can do is win our games. And we did that.”

London boost their ambitions of a top-two finish through a comprehensive success over Besiktas, which was behind 20 points from Matthew Morgan. They visit a Cedevita squad in search of another upset after finally earning a maiden win of 23/24 and hitting over a century at the expense of Hamburg.

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-London Lions | Round 17 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

One major difference in the final three quarters was London doing a much better job controlling its defensive glass. In the first 10 minutes, Cedevita grabbed 10 offensive rebounds. The hosts had 2 offensive rebounds in the second quarter, 0 in the third and 3 in the fourth period.

Coach Bozic had to be happy about the last three quarters, especially because the British side ranked dead last in offensive rebounds allowed at 13.1 per game coming into the game.

“It was a very physical game. In the first quarter we couldn’t get a rebound. They had 10 offensive rebounds in the quarter. And at halftime we told our guys we had to take care of the rebounds. We took care of the rebounds, we knew it would be a physical game, a game we had to win,” said London assistant coach Robert Youngblood, who finished in charge after head coach Petar Bozic was ejected with two successive technicals midway through the third quarter.

More London Lions News

Conor Morgan of the London Lions has possession against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Round 17 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The British side grabbed an important road victory in Slovenia.

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v London Lions (2024-01-31T17:30:00.000Z)

Aris Midea Thessaloniki is almost playoff bound after a resounding 66-86 win at ratiopharm Ulm. The 20-point win is impressive in itself, but even more so considering that Ulm opened the game with a 19-11 lead after less than 6 minutes of play.

Aris kept up its playoff push and has eyes on more

Aris Midea Thessaloniki is almost playoff bound after a resounding 66-86 win at ratiopharm Ulm. The 20-point win is impressive in itself, but even more so considering that Ulm opened the game with a 19-11 lead after less than 6 minutes of play.

However, it was all Aris after that.

Coach Ioannis Kastritis's men finished the first quarter with a 0-5 run and then opened the second with a 0-8 spurt to take a lead they never relinquished. However, the best work they did came in the third quarter during which Aris allowed just 8 points, holding the hosts to 2-for-6 shooting on two-pointers, 0-for-5 on threes, while forcing 3 turnovers and allowing just 1 offensive rebound.

Ulm was left without a field goal for the final 8 minutes and 16 seconds of that third quarter as Aris blew the game wide open, building a 23-point lead and then comfortably closing the game out.

"A big win for us," star of the show Ronnie Harrell said after the game. "Obviously the qualification \[which isn't guaranteed just yet\], but I am more proud of how we stuck together."

Harrell was front and center in this win. He scored 19 points on 5-for-8 three-point shooting, collected 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals and 2 blocks.

But he was not talking about his numbers, he was looking toward the things to come for him and his teammates.

"We cannot get comfortable", Harrell stressed. "We know it's a big win for \[almost securing the\] qualification, but we can't be content. We have to keep building. We showed ourselves what we can do, so it does not stop here."

Aris came close to securing a place in the playoffs and can still finish fourth, giving it home-court advantage in the eighthfinals if it wins next week at home against playoff-hopeful Dolomiti Energia Trento, and if Ulm loses at first-place Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse.

Regardless of how the regular-season finale plays out, Harrell and Aris feel they have what it takes to wrap up a playoff spot and make a run.

Aris moved a step closer to the postseason on Wednesday as Turk Telekom lost before the big win over Ulm.

ratiopharm Ulm v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2024-01-31T18:30:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj Napoca rallied from 19 points down to knock off Dreamland Gran Canaria 111-113 in an overtime thriller in the fight for a top-two spot in Group B. 

Cluj rallies for thrilling 111-113 OT win at Gran Canaria 

U-BT Cluj Napoca rallied from 19 points down to knock off Dreamland Gran Canaria 111-113 in an overtime thriller in the fight for a top-two spot in Group B. Gran Canaria was up 19 points in the first quarter, but the game was even late in the first half. Cluj itself lost an 8-point fourth-quarter lead and ended up winning in overtime on a tip-in by Emanuel Cate with 2 seconds left.

Jarell Eddie scored 24 points to lead Cluj with Patrick Richard and Cate both scoring 23 and Bryce Jones adding 21 points in the win for a 13-4 record and a four-game winning streak. Gran Canaria missed a chance to lock up a top-two finish as it fell to 12-5 despite Nicolas Brussino scoring 30 points and Andrew Albicy chipping in 20 points.

Brussino and John Shurna both hit early three-pointers and the hosts went up 10-4. Another Gran Canara triple - this one from Albicy - extended the lead to double figures at 19-9. Brussino added another long ball and the cushion continued to grow to 26-13. The Gran Canaria offense just kept going with Pierre Pelos’s three-pointer making it 37-18 and the score was 37-20 after 10 minutes.

Jones scored 4 of Cluj’s first 6 points of the second quarter, resulting in a Gran Canaria timeout with the score 37-26. The home side responded with triples from Ferran Bassas and Sylven Landesberg to extend the gap to 45-28. Cluj held Gran Canaria scoreless for nearly 4 minutes and scored 13 straight points including Cate hitting his first three-pointer of the season and a three-point play to pull within 45-41. AJ Slaughter answered with a three-pointer and a four-point play to push the Spanish side up 54-46. Cluj punched back with the next 8 points to fully erase the 19-point lead at 54-54. Albicy’s three-pointer had Gran Canaria up 57-54 at the break.

Gran Canaria held Cluj without a point for the first 3 minutes of the second half and went ahead 61-54. Cluj captain Richard drained back-to-back three-pointers and the guests took the lead, 61-63. Two Jones free throws had Cluj leading 65-69 and it was 69-74 after an Eddie triple. The guests went into the fourth quarter with a 73-77 cushion.

Cluj did not score for the first 2 minutes of the final frame and Gran Canaria capitalized on back-to-back turnovers to regain the lead, 79-77. Eddie finally got a score for Cluj with a three-pointer and he added a floater and another three-pointer and the score was 81-89. Gran Canaria charged right back and triples by Albicy and Miquel Salvo knotted the game 93-93 with under 2 minutes left. Brussino’s 2 free throws to make it 95-93 were bettered by 3 foul shots from Richard with 58 seconds remaining. Slaughter and Brussino missed shots and Jones scored at the other end for a 95-98 lead with 22 seconds left. Albicy hit a driving layup, but missed the bonus free throw only to have Ben Lammers grab the offensive rebound. He could only convert 1 free throw to even the game 98-98 with 18 seconds left. Jones missed a three-point attempt to win the game.

After two Brussino scores early in overtime, Eddie drained another three-pointer and Richard’s foul shots made it 102-105. Albicy’s triple tied it and then Eddie made 2 foul shots. Albicy missed 2 free throws at the other end and then a dunk from Mareks Mejeris had Cluj ahead 105-109. Brussino would not give up with 2 three-pointers to level it again 111-111 with 7.5 seconds to go. In the closing possession, Mokoka missed a layup, but Cate tipped in the game-winner.

The showdown between Group B aces left the Romanian champs ahead in the race for second place.

Buducnost VOLI defeated Aquila Basket Trento 78-97 in Round 17 of the 2023-24 EuroCup season.

Buducnost VOLI conquers Aquila Basket Trento, 78-97

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica came away from Il T Quotidiano Arena with a convincing 78-97 win over Dolomiti Energia Trento on Wednesday night. Buducnost improved to 7-10 and will fight for a playoff spot in Round 18 against Dreamland Gran Canaria at home. Trento slipped to the same record, 7-10, and will need to defeat Aris Midea Thessalonikki on the road to have a chance to qualify for the next stage.

Nikola Tanaskovic led six Buducnost players in double figures with 19 points, while he also had 8 rebounds for a PIR of 28. Yogi Ferrell posted 14 points and 8 assists, Yoan Makoundou, Andrija Slavkovic and Kenan Kamenjas chipped in with 11 apiece and McKinley Wright netted 10. Kamar Baldwin paced the hosts with 13 points and 4 dimes, while Andreas Grazulis, Toto Forray, Davide Alviti and Prentiss Hubb poured in 11 points each.

Thanks to three quick inside baskets, one by Slavkovic and two by Tanaskovic, Buducnost took an early 0-6 lead. The hosts needed some time to adjust on offense until Baldwin found some momentum, but the visitors held on to keep an-8-10 lead when the first timeout took place. Ferrell took over when the game resumed with a long three, as Trento failed to take care of the ball and missed consecutive offenses that allowed Budcnost to escape 8-18 after Wright hit again from downtown. Despite Derek Cooke helping with scoring and full-court pressure, Trento couldn’t get close as it trailed 14-22 after 10 minutes.

The first Trento three-pointer of the night came from Alviti, who capped a 2-7 run early in the second period to force an urgent timeout by Buducnost at 21-24. Even though it managed to freeze the comeback, it only lasted for a while as the hosts kept using the three-point line to finally take the lead, 34-32, behind long-range daggers from Grazulis, Alviti and Hubb. Buducnost didn’t take a step back, though, and pushed even harder on the offensive boards to win the rebounding battle and take advantage of back-to-back triples by Ferrell and Slavkovic, which sparked a 5-12 run that finished the first half with the guests ruling 39-45.

Paul Biligha got Trento going with an inside bucket right after the intermission but nobody else joined, so Buducnost needed nothing but a couple of good inside moves by Slavkovic and Tanaskovic and a pair of triples by Vladimir Mihailovic and Ferrell to build a double-digit margin, 42-54. Things got even worse when Ferrell took over, nicely distributing the ball to allow Tanaskovic and Mihalovic to keep punishing the rim from both inside and outside. As such, Buducnost escaped 48-67 after 27 minutes, with Trento trying again to regroup through a timeout. Nothing worked, though, as the guests remained hot on offense and scored on almost each possession to enter the last stanza with a 23-point advantage, 56-79.

Brandon Paul made it a 28-point game, 56-84, when he hit his first from downtown early in the fourth quarter, all but confirming the outcome for Buducnost, while Trento tried to finish the game strong. An 8-0 run returned some joy to the stands, but it couldn’t go further as Buducnost kept a 69-93 lead with 3 minutes remaining. Mattia Udom, Hubb and Luca Conti took the reins at that moment to prevent Trento from suffering a more painful defeat.

Andrija Slavkovic of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica looks to get past Toto Forray of Dolomiti Energia Trento in Round 17 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The visitors blew the visitors away thanks to a 34-point third-quarter performance to keep their playoff chances alive.

Cluj took ‘another step’ towards a quarterfinal spot

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 17 winner

Buducnost used its offensive firepower to destroy Trento

Short-handed Cluj shined brightest in instant classic with Gran Canaria

Coach Fauthoux has led Bourg on major turnaround

London Lions got out on the break in win over Cedevita

Aris kept up its playoff push and has eyes on more

Cluj rallies for thrilling 111-113 OT win at Gran Canaria

Buducnost conquers Trento, 78-97