

U-BT Cluj-Napoca bounced back from its last home loss in the Eurocup by grabbing a hard-fought 77-79 win at Buducnost VOLI Podgorica at Moraca on Wednesday night. The visitors had to overcome a 15-point first-half deficit but finished strong and outscored their opponent 16-29 in the fourth quarter to turn the tables.
Patrick Richard led the visitors with 16 points, 5 boards and 4 assists for a PIR of 25. Andrija Stipanovic also had 16 points and Bryce Jones posted 13 points and 8 dimes to lift Cluj’s record to 9-4. Petar Popovic and Brandon Paul scored 13 points apiece to pace the hosts, Kenan Kamenjas chipped in 12, Andrija Slavkovic 11 and McKinley Wright netted 10 in the losing effort. With the loss, Buducnost slipped to 5-8.
The hosts built an early 9-2 lead based on a strong defense and 4 points in a row by Marvin Jones. Cluj needed 3 minutes to record its first field goal, but from that moment it chained together 4 successful offenses that made it 14-13 before the first timeout of the game. Popovic resumed the game with a three and Paul followed with a couple of free throws, as Cluj remained scoreless for almost 3 minutes for a 19-13 lead for the home side. Despite the visitors locking in defensively, allowing nothing but free throws to Buducnost, the guests managed to finish the first period in front, 22-19.
The scenario got worse for Cluj after the break, as its offensive woes continued and Buducnost found a new weapon in Kamenjas. The Bosnian center had an immediate impact in his first EuroCup game this season and boosted his team to a 31-23 advantage. Cluj had Stepanovic as its only contributor at that point, which proved too little against the hosts’ energy. Jones and Slavkovic joined the party to keep feeding Buducnost’s offense, while Cluj remained erratic in offense, with below-par shooting and committing several turnovers -10 in the second period. A buzzer-beating coast-to-coast layup by Yogi Ferrell closed the first half with the home team ruling 45-31.
A 0-7 run started by Seeley and capped by Karel Guzman right after the third quarter started brought Cluj back into the game, 45-38. Buducnost looked to break the trend with an early timeout, but it didn’t stop the visitors. Back-to-back buckets by Stepanovic extended the run to 0-11 and made it a one-possession game, 45-42, soon after. The drought came to its end thanks to Kamenjas and Paul, as the latter hit from downtown to cool it down and restore a comfortable 50-42 edge for Buducnost. The hosts didn’t stop there and ignited a 9-0 run behind 5 points in a row by Popovic to restore a double-digit lead, 59-46, that turned into a 61-50 advantage entering the last quarter.
Both squads swapped baskets in the early going, which allowed the hosts to retain a 65-55 margin. It seemed the home side had it under control, but Cluj’s backcourt woke up and started its own show. Guzma opened fire from the line, opening the door for Richards, Jones and DJ Seeley, who ignited a 2-12 run that tied it up for the first time since the tipoff. Jones struck again from the free-throw line to give Cluj its first lead of the night and showed up again in clutch time to extend the lead to 71-75 with less than a minute remaining. Paul gave hope to the local fans with a huge three to make it a 1-point game but produced 2 consecutive airballs in the following possessions that allowed Richards to seal the outcome from the line.