The Romanian champs trailed for the lion’s share of an enthralling contest before turning the tide in the home straight
Late surge gives Cluj hard-fought 86-78 home win over Reyer
U-BT Cluj-Napoca celebrated its first home win of the season in the BKT EuroCup and improved to 3-3 in Group B after digging deep to grind out an 86-78 victory over visiting Umana Reyer Venice.
Adam Mokoka paced the hosts with 16 points, Karel Guzman added 15 while Zach Hankins chipped in with 14 and 7 boards. At the other end, Juan Fernandez netted 11 points while Rodney McGruder and Davide Moretti scored 10 apiece for Reyer, which dropped to 2-4.
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Both teams played in fits and starts early on, as Reyer raced to a 2-6 lead before Cluj responded with a 10-0 run. The visitors then hit back with a 0-8 streak to turn the tables and carve out a 20-24 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Reyer was particularly lethal from downtown in the first half, making 10 of 17 shots from deep in the opening two quarters to earn a 39-46 halftime advantage, after Fernandez sank a buzzer-beater from way beyond the arc.
Cluj looked down and out for the count after Reyer extended its lead to 45-61 in the third quarter and things got even worse for the hosts as their head coach Mihai Silvasan ejected by the officials for loud protests over a refereeing decision. That, however, seemed to galvanize Cluj as the home team slashed the deficit to 56-67 ahead of the final 10 minutes and then beefed up its defense in the fourth quarter.
It paid instant dividends as Reyer’s long-range artillery dried up while the turnovers piled up, allowing Cluj to draw level 72-72 down the stretch. With the fervent home crowd roaring them on, the home players forced the final twist as Mokoka came up with some big plays before Guzman sank a decisive 3-pointer to give Cluj an unassailable 84-78 lead in the final minute.
Ultimately, Reyer was held to a mere 1-of-11 shooting from downtown in the second half and forced to commit 19 turnovers by an aggressive Cluj defense, while managing a mere 14 assists. The visitors also made only 13 of 27 shots from two-point territory, with Cluj winning the battle of the boards 37-33.