The Romanian side solidified its playoff push with a hard-fought win in Round 11.
Cluj battles to hold off Slask, 80-76



U-BT Cluj-Napoca got back to winning ways on Tuesday night, as it held on to an 80-76 win over Slask Wroclaw, which is in last place in Group B. This win improved Cluj to a 8-3 record, good enough for at least a share of the third place in Group B when Round 11 ends, while Slask dropped to a 1-10 mark.
Cluj controlled the majority of the game and led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, but Slask erased the deficit in the second half and even went in front, 67-68, with 4 minutes to go. But Cluj replied with a 9-1 run, before the hosts closed out the game.
Andrija Stipanovic paced the winners with 19 points, Patrick Richard finished with 12 points and 8 assists, and Adam Mokoka scored 11 for Cluj. Dusan Miletic collected 16 points and 8 rebounds for Slask, while Daniel Golebiowski and Andrii Voinalovych scored 13 apiece.
Game Videos
A strong start from Cluj
Cluj took control from the get-go, with Stipanovic scoring 10 points as the hosts opened a 15-4 lead. Slask struggled for the first 5 minutes before Voinalovych hit a pair of triples, but Jarell Eddie hit one from downtown for Cluj, helping it to a 20-13 lead after 10 minutes.
Breathing room for Cluj at halftime
Cluj went on to score the first 6 points of the second, taking the issue inside every time, and Emanuel Cate made it 26-13. Hassani Gravett and Golebiowski stopped the bleeding, but Mihai Maciuca and Mokoka hit a three apiece for Cluj to extend the margin to 34-20. However, Slask did not let the hosts pull away, as Golebiowski and Aleksander Wisniewski each knocked down a three-pointer to help the visitors cut it to 43-32 at halftime.
Slask refused to roll over
Slask closed the gap some more immediately after the break with a three-point play from Artsiom Parakhouski, and a pair of baskets from Voinalovych helped make it 46-43. Mokoka and Stipanovic nudged Cluj further ahead as the teams traded blows, but Gravett beat the buzzer with an up-and-under layup to make it 57-53 after three quarters.
A late scare, before going up a level
Michal Sitnik and Miletic scored more baskets inside to start the fourth and tie it at 57-57. Cluj restored the lead through Mokoka, but back-to-back threes from Miletic and Voinalovych tied it at 65-65, before Golebiowski's three-point play put the visitors in front, 67-68. But Eddie replied with his third three-pointer, then Richard's basket added to Cluj's tally. A layup from Stipanovic and a pair of foul shots from Richard capped a 9-1 run with 56 seconds to go, 76-69. The game was not over, however, as Slask used the hosts' mistakes to its advantage and scored 5 points in 18 seconds to make it a 2-point margin, but Stipanovic's fastbreak dunk iced the game.