Here are five players who impressed in Round 18 of the BKT EuroCup Regular Season and deserve special mentions in the weekly roll call.

Roll Call, Round 18: Dadiet, Herrera, Mekowulu, Palmer, Sanan

### Ulm’s Pacome Dadiet was at his best against Bourg

Eyes have been on ratiopharm’s uber-talented teenager Pacome Dadiet all season and he has aided the club’s march to the playoffs as a helpful rotation piece off the bench. On Tuesday in his native France, Dadiet featured for the fewest minutes he has played over the past month, 16:32, yet shined bright with season-highs of 15 points and a PIR of 14. He made 6 of 8 two-pointers and was 3 for 3 from the foul line. Dadiet also tied his personal best with 3 rebounds. His best performance to date was even more impressive in that it came in a road game against group champion Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, with fellow teenage sensation Juan Nunez sidelined, and Ulm needing to win to guarantee fourth place in Group B and a home date for the EuroCup Eighthfinals. He came out hot, entering the game for Karim Jallow after just 2 minutes and then scoring 9 first-quarter points to stake Ulm to a double-digit lead that proved to be too much for Bourg to overcome. 

Pacome Dadiet scored a career-high 15 points at Bourg

### Sebastian Herrera was hot from deep for Paris

Playing alongside the EuroCup’s top scorer on the competition’s best offense, Sebastian Herrera is not often called on to score. However, in Wednesday's blowout of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, the German guard let it fly early and had his best game of the season with 14 points and 4 assists and a PIR of 17. The points and index rating were both personal-bests and the assists tied his season-high. Herrera shot 4 of 5 from deep, too. He increased his EuroCup-leading assist-to-turnover ratio to a mind-numbing 26 (He has dished 26 assists this season with just a single turnover!). The 26-year-old native of Chile was among the core group of players that Coach Tuomas Iisalo brought with him this season from Telekom Bonn and his showing against Cedevita showed that, despite averaging 5.1 points and 2.2 assists during the regular season, he is another weapon that opposing teams must watch out for in the playoffs. 

Sebastian Herrera was hot from deep for Paris against Cedevita

### Christian Mekowulu lifted Wolves in London

Wolves Vilnius finished its maiden season in the EuroCup with a bang by upsetting the London Lions and big man Christian Mekowulu was at the heart of it with a season-high 18 points. He made his presence felt early with a block in the game’s second minute and then showed off his shooting range in the second quarter with a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer. Mekowulu also impressed on the defensive end, whether it be the aforementioned block, a steal and layup in the second quarter or denying London star Gabe Olaseni with a steal in the third. He powered his way to a key basket with 2:22 remaining that gave Wolves a 77-82 lead. When the final buzzer sounded, Mekowulu was his team’s joint-high scorer with Jeffery Taylor. He made 8 of his 13 shots from the field, grabbed 7 rebounds and tallied 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 blocks for a PIR of 18. He also led his team with a +/- of +10 in 22:09 on the floor.

Christian Mekowulu scored a season-high 18 in London

### James Palmer did his part for Turk Telekom to clinch playoff spot

Turk Telekom completed its late-season charge to the playoffs with a 70-86 over Slask Wroclaw on Tuesday. The team's top scorer in the game was James Palmer who scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half, including 9 in the fourth quarter. Palmer was 0-for-2 from three-point range at halftime, but nailed 5-of-6 three-point shots after the break, tying his career-best mark. In just under 30 minutes of work on the floor, Palmer also pulled down 6 rebounds and dished 4 assists, helping Turk Telekom to a win which a day later proved to be a playoff-clinching when the other results went Turk Telekom's way. 

James Palmer scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half, including 9 in the fourth quarter.

James Palmer made career-high 5 triples vs. Slask

### Issuf Sanon has career night in a big comeback

Prometey Slobozhanske was one of the biggest winners of Round 18, clinching home-court advantage in the eighthfinals with an 84-70 victory over Joventut Badalona. One of the main protagonists was guard Issuf Sanon, who came off the bench to deliver a career night. In a key game, he scored 23 points, besting his previous high of 19, and also tied his career-best with 4 three-pointers made on 6 attempts. Moreover, 11 of those points came in the fourth quarter, which Prometey won 31-6, turning a 58-71 deficit into a 14-point win. Sanon got Prometey going scoring the first 4 points of the fourth quarter, and his basket during a 20-0 run tied the game at 76-76, as Prometey ran away with a key win.

Issuf Sanon came off the bench to deliver a career night. In a key game, he scored 23 points, besting his previous high of 19, and also tied his career-best with 4 three-pointers made on 6 attempts.

Issuf Sanon has career night in a big comeback

Marco Spissu finished his BKT EuroCup campaign in style, leading Umana Reyer Venice to an 83-90 win at Veolia Towers Hamburg and earning his first-ever MVP of the Round honor.

Round 18 MVP: Marco Spissu, Umana Reyer Venice

[Marco Spissu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/marco-spissu/004381/) scored a season-high 25 points, making 4-of-5 two-pointers, 3-of-6 threes and 8-of-9 free throws. He also dished 5 assists, drew 5 fouls, had 1 steal and 1 rebound for a PIR of 29, the highest of any player in Round 18.

Marco Spissu finished his BKT EuroCup campaign in style, leading Umana Reyer Venice to an 83-90 win at Veolia Towers Hamburg and earning his first-ever MVP of the Round honor. Spissu scored a season-high 25 points, making 4-of-5 two-pointers, 3-of-6 threes and 8-of-9 free throws. He also dished 5 assists, drew 5 fouls, had 1 steal and 1 rebound for a PIR of 29, the highest of any player in Round 18.

Marco Spissu |  Round 18 MVP | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

Behind Spissu, with a PIR of 28, were [Vytenis Lipkevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/vytenis-lipkevicius/lxi/) of 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevzys and [Kenan Kamenjas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/kenan-kamenjas/008325/) of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. Lipkevicius had 17 points, 6 assists, 4 steals and 9 drawn fouls in a 92-87 win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca, while Kamenjas collected 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in a 90-77 victory against Dreamland Gran Canaria. Rounding out the list of top performers in the regular-season finale were three players who had a 27 PIR: [James Palmer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/james-palmer-jr-/011834/) of Turk Telekom Ankara, [Yoan Makoundou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/yoan-makoundou/011935/) of Buducnost and [Dusan Miletic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/dusan-miletic/009896/) of Slask Wroclaw.

Marco Spissu finished his BKT EuroCup campaign in style, leading Umana Reyer Venice to an 83-90 win at Veolia Towers Hamburg and earning his first-ever MVP of the Round honor. 

Round 18 MVP: Marco Spissu, Umana Reyer Venice 

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Umana Reyer Venice (2024-02-06T18:30:00.000Z)

Here are the leaders in the main statistical categories for Round 18 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season. 

Individual highs: David Nwaba, London Lions, 4 blocks

[Points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=score)

Spissu led all players in Round 18 with 25 points. Deividas Sirvydis of Lietkabelis finished the regular season as the top scorer with 18.9 points per game.

[Rebounds](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=totalRebounds)

Angel Delgado of Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul and Ondrej Balvin of Prometey Slobozhanske each had 12 rebounds in the regular-season finale. Trevion Williams of ratiopharm Ulm is EuroCup's top rebounder with 10.9 per game.

[Assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=assistances)

TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball had 12 assists, more than any other player in this round. Shorts leads the EuroCup with 7.6 assists per game.

[Steals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=steals)

Three players had 4 steals in Round 18: Lipkevicius, Tyrone Wallace of Turk Telekom and John Shurna of Gran Canaria. Karel Guzman of Cluj is atop the season charts, averaging 2.3 steals per contest.

[Blocks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=blocksFavour)

David Nwaba of the London Lions had 4 blocks, the most in Round 18. Karlo Matkovic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana has been EuroCup's top shot-blocker with 2.1 rejections per game.

[Double-doubles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=miscellaneous&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=doubleDoubles)

There were six double-doubles in the final round of the regular season: Shorts (11 points, 12 assists), Miletic (20 points, 11 rebounds), Delgado (15 points, 12 rebounds), Steven Enoch of Turk Telekom (15 points, 10 rebounds), Ulm's Williams (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Cluj's Andrija Stipanovic (11 points, 10 rebounds).

BC Prometey secured home-court advantage in the EuroCup Playoffs by stepping up late to beat Joventut Badalona.

BC Prometey kept a cool head and wrapped up fourth place in the process

Prometey Slobozhanske did not lose its faith and remained calm as it trailed by a big margin to Joventut Badalona on Wednesday night. That perseverance ended up translating into one of the most important wins in club history and fourth place in Group A, as Ronen Ginzburg’s group finished the regular season in style.

Joventut led by 15 points in the third quarter, the cushion was 13 points after 30 minutes and Prometey was still down by 12 points with 8 minutes to go. However, the Prometey players didn’t lose their focus and [turned the tables to come away with a 94-80 home win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/prometey-rallies-from-13-points-down-in-fourth-to-beat-joventut-94-80/).

Playoff-bound Prometey and Spanish side Joventut playing for the final group position as they go head-to-head separated by just one win. A key matchup is to take place in the paint between veteran big men Ante Tomic and Ondrey Balvin, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds in November 2023's meeting.

Prometey Slobozhanske-Joventut Badalona | Round 18 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### Ronald March stepped up late

“Everybody remained calm. We had faith in ourselves and we started buckling down on defense. They were scoring in bunches and scoring every shot they took in the first half and third quarter. We stayed down and believed,” said Ronald March, who finished with 19 points.

The Prometey guard scored just 7 points in the first three quarters and then really helped his team late on with 12 points in the final 10 minutes.

“I think I played terrible in the first half, but my teammates remained confident in me, Coach remained confident in me. I finally decided to wake up and we won the game,” March added.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Only 12 remaining⚡️<br><br>The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> continues for these teams in the post-season👀 <a href="https://t.co/cqCo3X5m6S">pic.twitter.com/cqCo3X5m6S</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1755349888538124523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### An important win for Prometey

“Nobody gave up. Not the players on the floor, not the players on the bench,” stated Coach Ginzburg, whose team took control with a 20-0 run in the fourth quarter.

“I think it’s one of the biggest wins for Prometey, even if we have had some big wins. I’m happy for Prometey, for the fans here and in Ukraine.”

The victory was kind of a microcosm of Prometey’s season. The Ukrainian started 2023-24 with a 2-5 record, but it took advantage of its home fans in Riga, Latvia, and put together a 7-2 record at home and ended up with a 10-8 mark, good for fourth place.

“It’s a great win for the club, for Ukraine. It shows that you need patience to win,” Coach Ginzburg noted.

“It is crazy that we secured fourth place after a not very good start to the season,” added Illia Sydorov.

Prometey locked up fourth place in the group and will go into the playoffs with confidence after three wins in the last four games. All thanks to remaining calm.

Issuf Sanon and Caleb Agada of Prometey Slobozhanske celebrate against Joventut Badalona in Round 18 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Ginzburg’s squad ended the regular season on a high by defeating Joventut.

Prometey kept a cool head and wrapped up fourth place in the process

Prometey Slobozhanske v Joventut Badalona (2024-02-07T17:00:00.000Z)

Congratulations to Milos Mihajlovic, the Round 18 winner in EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Milos' team, Crni Djordje, posted a round-high score of 227.95 fantasy points.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 18 winner

Congratulations to Milos Mihajlovic, the Round 18 winner in [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/)! Milos' team, Crni Djordje, posted a round-high score of 227.95 fantasy points.

His squad featured the following players as starters: Tyrone Wallace of Turk Telekom Ankara as team captain, then Paris Basketball duo TJ Shorts and Tyson Ward, Umana Reyer Venice big man Amedeo Tessitori and ratiopharm Ulm center Trevion Williams. His sixth man was Vassilis Toliopoulos of Aris Midea Thessaloniki. The rest of his bench consisted of: Aris pair Ronnie Harrell and Silvio De Sousa, Karem Konan of Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, and Aleksander Wisniewski of Slask Wroclaw. Milos' head coach was Paris's Tuomas Iisalo.

The prize for finishing first in Round 18 is a free subscription to EuroLeague TV for the 2024-25 season!

The overall leader after 18 rounds remains Uros Kostic, whose GargamelFalkao team is ahead of everyone with 3,307.00 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for the eighthfinals, which mark the first round of the EuroCup Playoffs. From now on, unlimited trades are allowed before each round until the end of the season and, as always, you can also trade your head coach.

The first eighthfinals game is scheduled to tip off on Tuesday, March 5, and thus marks the next round's deadline.

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!

Paris Basketball blew KK Cedevita Olimpija away in the regular-season finale, as the French club begins to think about a deep run in the EuroCup Playoffs.

High-flying Paris Basketball seems ready to take the next step

Founded in 2018, Paris Basketball has gone from strength to strength in recent years before enjoying a near-perfect run in this season’s BKT EuroCup, having finished the regular season with a 17-1 record which earned the French side the top spot in Group A and with it an automatic quarterfinal berth.

Paris capped its regular-season campaign with a spectacular 119-66 home win over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, striking primal fear into the hearts of its potential quarterfinal rivals. Having reached the last eight last term, beating 7bet-Lietkabelis 97-98 in the eighthfinals before losing 104-74 at eventual champion Dreamland Gran Canaria, Paris now appears set to go at least a step further.

In fact, Paris will head into the playoffs as the favorite to win the first trophy in the club’s history, having secured home-court advantage all the way to the EuroCup Finals.

Paris have already guaranteed the top seed status throughout the playoffs and wish to reaffirm their prowess at the expense of a Cedevita group that knows it must emerge victorious to have a chance of avoiding a bottom-placed finish. Will this play to form or are we to witness a major upset?

Paris Basketball-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 18 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

Tyson Ward, who was named player of the game after a stellar performance against Cedevita garnished by 20 points, 3 rebounds and as many assists, was mobbed by his teammates before he shared his delight in a flash post-game interview.

“It’s definitely a great way to end the \[regular\] season in this last time in this gym," said Ward. "It’s definitely something to build on heading into the playoffs. I am super proud of everybody and the top spot is what we’ve worked so hard for throughout the regular season.

"It gives us enough time to work on the things that we need to work on and prepare for these big games coming up. A lot of us have not been in this situation before and then again a lot of us have.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A 53-point difference win and Tyson Ward getting recognition from the teammates after being the player of the game⭐️<br><br>The best possible way to end the regular season for <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ParisBasketball</a> 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/4jDn4ifwNO">pic.twitter.com/4jDn4ifwNO</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1755346426878398940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Paris head coach Tuomas Iisalo was overjoyed with his team’s commitment and intensity. “For 40 minutes, the goal was to focus on our identity and I also think we can be really proud of the team’s growth throughout the regular season,” he said.

“It was a very difficult group and our record speaks volumes how much work the guys have put in. We’ve put ourselves in a good position but the playoffs, as we all know, is a different animal. There is almost no room for error.”

On a night when Paris simply blew Cedevita away, it proved to be the perfect farewell to the Halle Georges Carpentier gym, as the club prepares to embark upon a new era at Adidas Arena.

More Paris News

Nadir Hifi scores for Paris Basketball against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Round 18 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The EuroCup Group A winner has every chance to surpass last year’s accomplishment.

High-flying Paris seems ready to take the next step

Paris Basketball v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2024-02-07T19:45:00.000Z)

BC Wolves leaned on a surprisingly strong away support at Copper Box Arena to defeat the London Lions 80-85 in Round 18 of the 2023-24 EuroCup season.

BC Wolves got help from Lithuanian fans at Copper Box Arena in swan song

Wolves Vilnius bid farewell to the BKT EuroCup with a strong road victory over the London Lions, using dominance on the glass to get a win in front of some surprisingly strong support away from home.

Wolves were really pushed by the Lithuanian fans inside Copper Box Arena and it [helped the road team to an 80-85 triumph](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/wolves-finish-season-on-high-note-downing-london-80-85-on-road/) in a game that often had the feeling it was taking place in Lithuania.

“We were so happy to see so many Lithuanians at the arena. It’s an amazing feeling to feel like you are playing at home. We knew that a lot of people would come to watch us, but we didn’t expect so much support. This victory is for them,” said Wolves head coach Nedas Pacevicius. 

“That is incredible. You cannot imagine how much they lifted us up during all the tough moments. And we had so many ups and downs. During those tough moments we felt like the fans were behind us. We are really happy about this win, really happy.”

The high-scoring Lions have roared with three wins from the last four and showed its firepower with an 87-101 win at Wolves earlier in the season. The guests may lean on the experience and shooting skills of Jeffery Taylor, who poured in a season-high 20 points in an impressive win over Hamburg.

London Lions-Wolves Vilnius | Round 18 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### The battle of the boards was key

Wolves outrebounded London 44-31, including a 15-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. And that led to a 21-11 margin in second-chance points.

Add the rebounding advantage to London making just 3-of-19 three-pointers (15.8%) and Wolves had a good win to complete the season.

“It felt good. It’s a little bittersweet knowing we were so close to making the playoffs, knowing how many games we dropped in the middle of the year that we could have possibly won. But it’s a great way to end the season in the EuroCup and we’re happy with the win,” said Jeffery Taylor.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The BC Wolves 🐺 take down the <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LondonLions</a> 🦁 via a thrilling 85-80 win away from home in our final BKT <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroCup</a> game!🏀💪😤 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreWolves?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreWolves</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BKTEuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BKTEuroCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/GEWLVR2FIP">pic.twitter.com/GEWLVR2FIP</a></p>&mdash; BC WOLVES (@wolves_bc) <a href="https://twitter.com/wolves_bc/status/1755349435624886572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wolves had already been eliminated from playoff contention and that made the trip to London less than easy, but the fans’ support gave the team an added level of motivation.

“It was not easy. We came here without any chances of qualify for the playoffs,” added Cocah Pacevicius. “But I really think the guys felt the meaning of this game because so many Lithuanian fans came to watch.

“It was a big, big factor for us. During the tough moments, they actually pushed us for good stops defensively. This is a very good victory, a victory which will help us in the future.”

More Wolves News

Vaidas Kariniauskas of Wolves Vilnius in action against the London Lions in Round 18 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The Lithuanian side ended its debut EuroCup campaign on a high by beating the London Lions.

Wolves got help from Lithuanian fans at Copper Box Arena in EuroCup swansong

London Lions v Wolves Vilnius (2024-02-07T19:30:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball closed out the BKT EuroCup regular season with a 119-66 mauling of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and sent an ominous warning to its rivals ahead of the playoffs.

Paris routs Cededvita, 119-66, to celebrate club record EuroCup win

Paris Basketball closed out the BKT EuroCup regular season with a 119-66 mauling of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and sent an ominous warning to its rivals ahead of the playoffs.

It was the French team’s biggest win in the competition and tied for the second biggest overall in the EuroCup, bettered only by Joventut Badalona’s 116-53 rout of the Guildford Heat in the 2007-2008 season.

The gulf in class epitomized by the two sides finishing on inverse records - Paris 17-1 and Cedevita 1-17 - was everywhere to be seen in the cat-and-mouse contest as Paris hit the ground running and kept its foot on the gas from start to finish.

Game Videos

 Tyson Ward and Nadir Hifi paced Paris with 20 points apiece. Sebastian Herrera scored 14 points, Mehdy Ngouama and Mikael Jantunen chipped in with 12 each and TJ Shorts paired 11 points with 12 assists to underline a flowing team effort that saw the home side blow away the Slovenian outfit in every department.

At the other end, Justin Cobbs led Cedevita with 18 points and veteran Jaka Blazic added 12 for the hapless visitors, who had hoped for a better display in their last game of what has been a hugely disappointing season in Europe.

Game News

Paris raced into an 8-0 lead inside the opening 90 seconds and that set the tone for the rest of the contest, with Cedevita only able to briefly slash the deficit to 15-12 after a timeout.

It was one-way traffic from there on, as Paris displayed its vast array of weapons to carve out a 62-34 advantage at halftime, having sank 10 shots from three-point range. The French side also racked up 18 assists in the first half while committing only 4 turnovers.

Blazic said at halftime that Cedevita had to restore its dignity after the long break but the second half only produced more one-way traffic, with the hosts extending their lead to 89-49 at the end of the third quarter.

The final score added insult to injury for Cedevita, as Paris rolled on relentlessly and the whole-hearted display will have boosted the team’s confidence ahead of the business end of the competition.

The French side put the icing on the cake of an impressive regular season with a masterclass performance.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca reached the EuroCup Playoffs on Wednesday night, despite losing at BC Lietkabelis, due to Buducnost VOLI's win against CB Gran Canaria.

Helping hand from Buducnost pushed Cluj into quarterfinals

U-BT Cluj-Napoca advanced to the BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals in the most fortuitous fashion after [a 92-87 defeat at 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/lietkabelis-sinks-cluj-92-87-visitors-wrap-up-second-spot-due-to-gran-canaria-defeat/) had knocked the Romanian team’s fate out of its hands in the final round of the competition’s regular season.

Cluj was left sweating on the outcome of the game between Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and Dreamland Gran Canaria, as victory for the Spanish side would have seen the defending champion overhaul Cluj on a better head-to-head record and clinch the runner-up spot in Group B.

However, Buducnost won that game 90-77, despite the fact that the Montenegrin team had no chance of making the playoffs, leaving Gran Canaria in third place while Cluj finished second by the skin of its teeth and thus earned a bye in the first knockout round.

After snapping a four-game losing streak by downing Slask behind 21 points from the consistent Deividas Sirvydis, eliminated Lietkabelis try to complicate the progress of Cluj, who needs a victory to secure a second-place finish in Group B and construct a direct passage to the EuroCup quarterfinals.

7-Bet Lietkabelis Panevezys-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Round 18 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### A night to forget in Panevezys

Under pressure to deliver at the end of an impressive regular-season campaign, Cluj looked jittery for the lion’s share of the contest against Lietkabelis, which had only pride to play for after losing any chance of reaching the postseason.

Instead, it was the Lithuanian outfit which looked like a playoff team with its quick movement of the ball on the offensive end as well as more aggressive defense, although Cluj thrived on long-range shooting as the visitors sank 9-of-14 shots from downtown in the first half.

Cluj briefly redressed the balance early in the fourth quarter when it levelled the score at 73-73, only for the battling Lietkabelis to pull away again, 81-75. The hosts stood their ground in the home stretch to come away with a season-ending victory, while Cluj could only hope for a Buducnost win to avoid getting leapfrogged by Granca in the runner-up spot.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ht" dir="ltr">Final score: Lietkabelis 92 - 87 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UBTCluj?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UBTCluj</a><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/BKTEuroCupx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BKTEuroCupx</a> <a href="https://t.co/IwZlhTrN2p">pic.twitter.com/IwZlhTrN2p</a></p>&mdash; U-BT Cluj-Napoca (@UBTCluj) <a href="https://twitter.com/UBTCluj/status/1755309330608296406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Buducnost delivered the goods for Cluj, with the Romanian side now able to focus on potential rivals for a berth in the competition’s last eight, having enjoyed a huge slice of good fortune in the regular season’s dramatic climax.

More Cluj News

Some U-BT Cluj-Napoca players come together during their team's game at 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys in Round 18 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The Romanian side benefited from another result going its way after losing to Lietkabelis.

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2024-02-07T17:00:00.000Z)