Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana took control late in the third quarter and never let up to record a 78-88 victory over 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys at Kalnapilio Arena on Thursday night

Cedevita overpowers Lietkabelis, 78-88, in rescheduled Round 13 game

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana took control late in the third quarter and never let up to record a 78-88 victory over 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys at Kalnapilio Arena on Thursday night. Cedevita improved to 10-5, moved within a whisker of clinching a playoff berth and strengthened its grip on second place in Group B. Lietkabelis fell to 4-11 and saw its already slim playoff hopes come to an end.

The game was a rescheduled Round 13 fixture that was postponed due to the weather conditions, which resulted in widespread flight cancellations and made it impossible for Cedevita to reach Panevezys for the original date, on January 2, 2025. <br>
Brynton Lemar led the Cedevita attack with 19 points, D.J. Stewart paired 15 points with 6 rebounds, Aleksej Nikolic tallied 14 points and 5 assists, Devin Robinson also scored 14 and <br>
Devante Jones added 10 points. Dovis Bickauskas matched his career-high with 17 points and also dished 5 assists for Lietkabelis, Martynas Varnas scored 16 and Georgios Kalaitzakis added 15 in defeat.

Game Videos

Dorde Gagic scored the game’s first points for Lietkabelis from the foul line right after having his initial offering blocked by Joan Beringer. Nikolic netted Cedevita’s first basket with a floater and Lemar followed to give Cedevita the lead. Lietkabelis was held scoreless for 4 minutes as the margin stretched to 2-7, however baskets on back-to-back possessions tied it. Vytenis Lipkevicius came alive for the hosts, though Cedevita answered each time he scored and Robinson’s jumper made it 9-11. Paulius Danusevicius twice scored fastbreak layups that gave the hosts the lead and both times Lemar answered for Cedevita. A free throw by Kalaitzakis gave Lietkabelis an 18-16 edge after 10 minutes.

Bickauskas fired in a pull-up three to open the second quarter. Stewart replied with a three-point play and Beringer evened things at 21-21 with a slam. Bickauskas put Lietkabelis on top again with a triple, but Andrija Stipanovic took over with 4 straight points and Stewart scored in transition to cap a 3-13 run, which prompted a timeout taken Coach Nenad Cacak. Grantas Vasiliauskas ended the drought only to see Nikolic extend the lead to 26-34 with a three-pointer and a floater. A pair of threes by Varnas helped revive the home team’s attack bringing Lietkabelis within 34-38, but Robinson and Lemar kept Cedevita in control. After a timeout, Bickauskas made a scoop shot and Kalaitzakis, Bickauskas and Vasiliauskas added free throws to trim the deficit to 40-45 at the break.

Game News

Bickauskas and Nikolic traded threes for the first points of the second half. Kalaitzakis shined with a three-point play on the offensive glass and Bickauskas drained his fourth triple of the night to get Lietkabelis within 49-50. Robinson answered for Cedevita with a jumper only to see Varnas knock down a three that evened the score midway through the quarter. The teams traded points with the score being tied at 52-52, 54-54 and 56-56. Jones broke the trend with a layup and a triple that put the visitors up 57-63. Varnas threw down a remarkable reverse alley-oop slam, but Stwart and Blazic helped Cedevita to a 59-67 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Danusevicius swished a three and Bickauskas collected a steal as Lietkabelis looked to change the momentum, but Jones stole the ball right back and fed Stewart for a slam. Robinson buried a baseline jumper and scored on the break to give Cedevita its first double-digit lead, 63-73. Gagic fouled out and Stweart added to the visitors' lead. A three-pointer by Nikolic stretched the margin to 15 with less than 5 minutes remaining. Kalaitzakis three by Kalaitzakis elicited a cheer from the home crowd, but it would prove to be too little, too late. Lemar's next three made it 67-83 and Lietkabelis would not threaten again.

The result ended the hosts' playoff hopes and strengthened Cedevita’s grip on second place

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2025-01-16T17:30:00.000Z)

A stunning individual performance in a come-from-behind victory allowed Jaleen Smith of Bahcesehir College Istanbul to earn Round 15 MVP honors with a PIR of 39 – the second round in succession he has been the MVP.

Round 15 MVP: Jaleen Smith, Bahcesehir College Istanbul

A stunning individual performance in a come-from-behind victory allowed [Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaleen-smith/011192/) of [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/bah/) to earn Round 15 MVP honors with a PIR of 39 – the second round in succession he has been the MVP.

Smith led Bahcesehir to a 76-81 road win over Trefl Sopot with 25 points on 5-of-9 two-pointers, 2-of-6 three-pointers and 9-of-10 free throws. He added 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 10 fouls drawn for a PIR of 39, a new personal-best effort. Smith earned MVP of the Round honors for the first time in Round 14 and has now achieved the same feat in Round 15 – his 15th appearance in the BKT EuroCup. He remains the third Bahcesehir player to be MVP of the Round in EuroCup history, after Jamal Jones (Round 8, 2020-21) and Axel Bouteille (Round 5, 2024-25), but Smith’s 39 PIR in Round 15 is a new club-high mark.

[Zavier Simpson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/zavier-simpson/013302/) of U-BT Cluj-Napoca amassed a PIR of 36 in his team's 77-88 road victory over Umana Reyer Venice. Simpson had 25 points on 7-of-12 two-pointers, 1-of-1 three-pointers and 8-of-8 free throws, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 5 fouls drawn. 

In that game, [Mfiondu Kabengele](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mfiondu-kabengele/012796/) of Reyer had 17 points on 5-of-7 two-pointers and 7-of-8 free throws, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 6 fouls drawn, good for a PIR of 30. 

[Jonah Mathews](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jonah-mathews/011936/) of Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul also reached a PIR of 30 in his team's 79-77 home win over Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius, getting 27 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 7 fouls drawn. 

[Berk Ugurlu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/berk-ugurlu/003783/), also of Besiktas, with a PIR of 27, completes the top individual performances in Round 15. Ugurlu had 20 points on 3-of-4 two-pointers, 3-of-4 three-pointers and 5-of-5 free throws, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and zero turnovers.

### Individual highs: Justinian Jessup, Ulm, 6 steals

Jonah Mathews of Besiktas led all scorers in Round 15 with 27 points. [Jared Harper](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jared-harper/011970/) of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem ranks first overall with 22.6 points per night. 

[Saliou Niang](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/saliou-niang/012687/) of Dolomiti Energia Trento led all rebounders in this round by pulling down 12 boards. Mfiondu Kabengele of Reyer is the EuroCup's best rebounder with 9.5 per game.

Three players had 8 assists apiece in Round 15: Harper, [Devon Dotson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/devon-durrell-dotson/013285/) of Joventut Badalona, and [Stefan Jovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/stefan-jovic/004863/) of Valencia Basket. Zavier Simpson of Cluj leads the assists table with 7.0 dimes per game.

[Justinian Jessup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/justinian-jessup/013290/) of Ulm collected 6 steals, matching this season's best mark, against Trento. [Andrew Albicy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/andrew-albicy/003425/) of Dreamland Gran Canaria ranks first overall with 2.0 steals per night.

[Kyle Alexander](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kyle-alexander/011973/) of Turk Telekom Ankara had 4 blocks in Round 15. He is also first overall with 2.2 blocks per game.

Kabengele (17 points, 10 rebounds), Veolia Towers Hamburg’s [Kur Kuath](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kur-kuath/013313/) (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Wolves’ [Marek Blazevic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marek-blazevic/008186/) (10 points, 10 rebounds) each had a double-double in this round.

The guard has been the MVP of the Round in back-to-back games

Congratulations to Michael Clavaud, our 15th winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Michael's team, 'Team Sacha', posted a score of 226.35.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 15 winner

Congratulations to Michael Clavaud, our 15th winner in the 2024-25 [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Michael's team, 'Team Sacha', posted a score of 226.35.

Michael had the following starting lineup: Jaleen Smith of Bahcesehir College Istanbul as team captain, and his teammate Tai Odiase, then Turk Telekom Ankara duo of Berkan Durmaz and Yoan Makoundou, as well as Dustin Sleva of Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul. Adam Mokoka of U-BT Cluj-Napoca was the sixth man.

The head coach of Michael's team was Turk Telekom's Erdem Can, while the four bench players were Brynton Lemar of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Anthony Lamb of Dolomiti Energia Trento, Joel Ayayi of Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse and Yovel Zoosman of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem.

The prize for finishing first in Round 15 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Michael!

The leader in the overall standings remains Milos Mihajlovic and his squad, 'BallIsLife', which has a total of 2,619.15 points after the first 15 rounds. Trades are now open for Round 16. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season.

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!

Joventut used a balanced attack to defeat Gran Canaria 77-83 and improve to 6-9 in Group A - just one victory behind both Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius for the last spot in the playoff zone

Joventut still breathing after beating Gran Canaria again

Go back to December 11, 2024 and it looked like an almost certainty that the illustrious [Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/roster/jov/?season=2024-25) would miss the BKT EuroCup playoffs. Fast forward just more than a month and the Spanish side is alive and well in the race for the post-season after knocking off Spanish rival [Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/roster/can/?season=2024-25).

Joventut used a balanced attack [to defeat Gran Canaria 77-83](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/joventut-wins-again-beats-gran-canaria-77-83/) and improve to 6-9 in Group A - just one victory behind both [Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/roster/bud/?season=2024-25) and [Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-vilnius/roster/wol/?season=2024-25) for the last spot in the playoff zone.

“It’s a good feeling for us. We knew this was a must-win for us. We knew it was a big game on the road. I’m proud of the team, the way they executed. The game plan was solid. We came out and attacked from the beginning. And I liked that about the group,” said Joventut playmaker [Devon Dotson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/devon-durrell-dotson/013285/), who collected 9 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists in the win. “Hopefully we can keep it going in the coming weeks and try to make the EuroCup Playoffs.”

Thoughts of the post-season were fading fast back on December 11 as [Joventut lost 88-102](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/ulm-downs-joventut-88-102-for-third-straight-victory/) at home against ratiopharm Ulm to fall to 3-8.

The 2008 EuroCup champion has turned its season around with three wins in the last four EuroCup games. Add the Spanish League and Joventut is 9-1 in its last 10 games. And two of those wins came against Gran Canaria - beating the islanders at home in domestic league action 89-78 on December 30.

“It was the third time we were playing against this team. We adjusted some different things,” said Joventut coach [Daniel Miret](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/jov/miret-daniel/?season=U2024), whose team lost to Gran Canaria [76-78 after overtime at home in Round 6](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/nico-brussino-the-hero-as-gran-canaria-beats-joventut-in-ot-76-78/) of the EuroCup.

“We need to keep the momentum. We are in a sweet moment. A lot of players helped the team. We are close to the team that we want to be. We just want to focus on the things that we can control,” added the coach.

One of the main reasons Joventut prevailed was getting the better of Gran Canaria’s three-point defense. [Jaka Lakovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/can/lakovic-jaka/?season=U2024)’s team had allowed opposing teams to shoot 31.0 percent from long range - good for fourth best in the league. But [Yannick Kraag](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yannick-kraag/010161/), [Kaiser Gates](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kaiser-evan-bray-gates/013287/) and [Miye Oni](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/miye-oni/012079/) all made 2 three-pointers as Joventut converted 47.6% of its three-point attempts. That was much higher than the 33.6% the team had been shooting coming into the game.

Seven players scored at least 8 points for Joventut and the team from the Barcelona suburbs is right there in the playoff race - something many thought was next to impossible just more than a month ago.

Joventut downed its Spanish rival for the second time in about two weeks 

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Joventut Badalona (2025-01-15T20:00:00.000Z)

D.J. Seeley, Zavier Simpson and Sasu Salin played key roles by scoring or assisting in 24 of U-BT Cluj-Napoca's 28 fourth-quarter points in Round 15 of the BKT EuroCup

Cluj backcourt made the difference in the end

Having won six out of its last seven games in the competition, [Umana Reyer Venice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/umana-reyer-venice/roster/vnc/?season=2024-25) came to its game against visiting [U-BT Cluj Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/roster/clu/?season=2024-25) as one of the hottest teams of the BKT EuroCup right now. So, when it managed to get ahead late in the third quarter, 60-58, after trailing all game, many thought Reyer would extend its winning streak one more time.

But Cluj didn’t step back at that moment and managed to grab [a 77-88 win in Venice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/cluj-shocks-venice-on-the-road-77-88/) with a 0-10 run in the last 3 minutes of the game.

“I’m really proud of the way my guys reacted, they were tough,” Cluj head coach [Mihai Silvasan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/clu/silvasan-mihai/?season=U2024) celebrated in the press conference. “They were tough in the second half, when Venice came back, evened the game and they even led with one or two points in the third quarter… But we stood tough, we made plays, we focused on each possession, even if we allowed some offensive rebounds.”

That play creation mentioned by Silvasan was enabled by a fantastic performance of his backcourt, with [D.J. Seeley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/dennis-seeley/004862/), [Zavier Simpson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/zavier-simpson/013302/) and [Sasu Salin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sasu-salin/002820/) playing key roles in that run and also in the entire last period. They were involved - scoring or assisting - in 24 of Cluj's 28 fourth-quarter points, making the difference for their team.

Salin shined in one of the best plays of the game when he dove to the floor to convert a loose ball into an assist for [Adam Mokoka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/adam-mokoka/012698/)’s dunk early in the last quarter and became the go-to guy in the last 3 minutes by drilling a couple of threes in the 0-10 final spark that helped Cluj close the game.

But Salin’s winning shots wouldn’t have been relevant without Simpson's steady performance. The competition's assist leader took the reins when his team needed and delivered 11 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 3 fouls drawn in the last 10 minutes. He finished with 25 points, 6 boards, 7 assists and 8-of-8 shooting from the line to record a career-high PIR of 36, completing a game to remember.

“It was good. Obviously, it was a tough atmosphere. The fans were really engaged, so that's always good when playing an away game,” Simpson said after the game. “We played against a good team, but we executed. They made a run in the third quarter... So I'm just happy my team was able to stick together in the tough environment, be able to come with the dub, they trusted me down the line to make plays, not just for myself, but also for others."

This win game also gave Cluj an advantage against Reyer on a potential tie-breaker at the end of the regular season, after the Romanian champs defeated the Reyer twice this season.

“I’m really happy for this win. It was a very important game for us," Silvasan continued. “They won the last five games in both competitions, so they were in pretty good shape... We managed to win, which put us in a good spot before our next game against Turk Telekom. We are enjoying this win but we have three more games and we must stay focused.”

Seeley, Salin and Simpson combined for 20 points in the fourth quarter

Umana Reyer Venice v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2025-01-15T19:00:00.000Z)

Bahcesehir improved to 13-2 on the season, and has a three game lead over Dreamland Gran Canaria, the second-place team in the group, and the only other team that could reach 13 wins in this group. But since Bahcesehir won their head-to-head tiebreaker, it has secured the first place.

Bahcesehir’s character showed up to clinch first place

[Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/roster/bah/?season=2024-25) can fly back home from Poland very happy. Even though it was not pretty against the last-placed host, [Trefl Prokom](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/trefl-sopot/roster/tso/?season=2024-25), Bahcesehir pulled out a victory [to clinch first place](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bahcesehir-rallies-against-trefl-to-win-group-a/) in Group A.

Bahcesehir improved to 13-2 on the season, and has a three game lead over Dreamland Gran Canaria, the second-place team in the group, and the only other team that could reach 13 wins in this group. But since Bahcesehir won their head-to-head tiebreaker, it has secured first place.

And that’s a big deal, because it means Bahcesehir has not only clinched a direct berth in the quarterfinals, but there it will have home-court advantage, the same as in the best-of-three semis.

But, the victory against Trefl, which has only won one game this season was everything but easy. The hosts led by 18 points midway through the second quarter, and had dominated in all segments of the game.

“We didn’t play well from the beginning, except the last few minutes of the second quarter,” Bahcesehir head coach [Dejan Radonjic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/bah/radonjic-dejan/?season=U2024) said. “So many mistakes, defensively we were soft, and offensively was also not good.”

But a strong finish to the second quarter, a 2-12 run that cut the deficit to 45-37 got Bahcesehir going, and the team carried that momentum into the second half.

“The second half, we changed our approach”, Radonjic said. “Our defense was totally different, we played tough, very focused with a lot of energy.”

The team erased the deficit, and went in front in the fourth quarter after back-to-back triples from [Sehmus Hazer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sehmus-hazer/011201/) and [Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaleen-smith/011192/), but Trefl did not give up and the two team were tied entering the final minute.

That’s when Bahcesehir put the ball into the hands of its two most experienced players. Smith, who starred with 25 points and 9 rebounds, made a tough runner, then [Axel Bouteille](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/axel-bouteille/003840/) made a tough baseline jumper, compensating for a rough night during which he made only 2 of his 8 field goal attempts.

Those two baskets gave Bahcesehir a 74-78 lead with 30 seconds to go, before Smith sealed the deal from the foul line.

“Credit to our team, we fought well to get back in it,” Smith said. “It just speaks of the character of our team.”

Because of the fight, energy and character, now all roads to the EuroCup Finals lead through Istanbul, where Bahcesehir is 8-0.

Thanks to a change of approach in the second half, Bahcesehir rallied from 18 points down on the road

Trefl Sopot v Bahcesehir College Istanbul (2025-01-15T18:00:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona refuses to give up in its fight for the playoffs as it downed Dreamland Gran Canaria 77-83 on the road to continue its great run of play

Joventut wins again, beats Gran Canaria 77-83 

Joventut Badalona refuses to give up in its fight for the playoffs as it downed Dreamland Gran Canaria 77-83 on the road to continue its great run of play. Joventut took control of the game with a 0-13 third-quarter run for its third win in the last four games in the EuroCup. That takes its record to 6-9 in Group A. Joventut improved to 2-6 on the road as it collected its ninth victory in the last 10 games in the Spanish League and EuroCup combined.

Kassius Robertson and Sam Dekker led the way with 13 points each, Artem Pustovyi had 10 points and 7 rebounds and Devon Dotson chipped in 9 points and 8 assists. Joventut clinched its first win in the EuroCup against its Spanish rivals, having lost in the 2023 semifinals as well as Round 6 this season. Gran Canaria has now lost three of its last four EuroCup games for a 10-5 record. John Shurna finished with 14 points and Mike Tobey had 13 points in the loss.

The game was tight in the early going with Yannick Kraag and Tobey both scoring 5 points for their respective teams as the scoeboard showed 13-13. Gran Canaria had a strong finish to the first quarter with George Conditt scoring 6 points in a 10-2 run over the final nearly 4 minutes to lead 23-15 after 10 minutes.

Joventut stepped up its play in the second quarter with Kaiser Gates and Robertson burying three-pointers to make it 23-21. Dekker scored 6 points and Dotson added 4 in a 4-14 Joventut charge to open a 32-37 advantage. The hosts finished the second quarter strong as well with the final 5 points to send the teams even 37-37 into the break.

Adam Hanga tallied the first 5 points of the second half to make it 37-42 only to have Pierre Pelos and Tobey bury triples at the other end to put Gran Canaria back ahead 45-44. The host’s offense dried up without a point for more than 4 minutes while Kraag and Miye Oni bookended a 0-13 run with three-pointers for a 45-57 lead. A Guillem Vives increased the visitors’ advantage to 48-62, and the score was 50-62 after three quarters.

Another Oni triple opened the final quarter and it was 50-65 for the guests. Gran Canaria could only trade baskets over the next few minutes and it was 58-72 with 6 minutes to go. Mehdy Ngouama cut the game to single digits 63-72 with a three-pointer but Pustovyi and Robertson answered at the other end and it was 63-76 with only 4 minutes to play. Dekker’s corner triple had Joventut up 69-81 with 111 seconds left. Ngouama gave Joventut a scare with 5 quick points to pull within 77-81 with 35 seconds to go. But Robertson iced the game by making 2 free throws with 17 seconds remaining.

Joventut will not give up its playoff chances without a fight 

It depends on who you ask. Was Buducnost VOLI Podgorica lucky to beat Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv on Wednesday night? Or did the Montenegrin champs deserve to win because they were sharper in many "details"? 

Buducnost paired details and luck to defeat Hapoel

It depends on who you ask. Was [Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/roster/bud/?season=2024-25) lucky to beat [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/roster/hta/?season=2024-25) on Wednesday night? Or did the Montenegrin champs deserve to win because they were sharper in many "details"?

Ironically, the man who summed up the game with Buducnost being lucky to claim a come-from-behind [84-83 home win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/buducnost-rallies-past-hapoel-84-83/) was that team's head coach!

"As you saw, it was a very tough game. Like some of the games this season that we didn’t have luck in the end, today we were lucky in the end," Coach [Andrej Zakelj](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/bud/zakelj-andrej/?season=U2024) said in the post-game press conference. "I think most important is that with 5 minutes to go, we were behind and the players believed they could win. They showed character, they fought and in the end, it paid off."

In fact, with 8 minutes to go, Buducnost was down 13. With 1 minute to go, Hapoel led by 8 and seemed to have the game wrapped up. But in the final 60 seconds, the hosts did not miss a shot, making 1 three-pointer, 2 two-pointers and 3 free throws. Meanwhile, Hapoel missed 2 field goals and was 1 for 4 from the foul line. If any of the above numbers change, Hapoel wins the game.

"The game was very exciting," Hapoel head coach [Dimitris Itoudis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/hta/itoudis-dimitris/?season=U2024) said. "Details decided the game. Congratulations to Buducnost for the win. It could have gone a different way. It could have gone our way. It would have been deserved because we played good basketball. But in the game of basketball, details are very important. Free throws, rebounds, turnovers.

"The fact that we had 17 turnovers and we allowed them to stay in the game in the first half with 9 offensive boards and scoring out of that 15 points, that’s too much."

There is a reason Itoudis harped on those three stats. Hapoel outperformed Buducnost in most other areas and had a team PIR of 94 compared to Buducnost’s 86. But on free throws, Buducnost was 85 percent (17 of 20), while Hapoel was 62.5% (10 of 16).

[Yam Madar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yam-madar/011052/) entered the game shooting 95% for the season (19 for 20) before missing twice, including once in the final minute. [Ish Wainright](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ishmail-carzell-wainright/013284/), who missed the other 2 late free throws for Hapoel, hadn’t missed multiple foul shots in a game since Round 2.

Meanwhile, [Fletcher Magee](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/fletcher-magee/012630/), the player [Patrick Beverley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/patrick-beverley/001927/) fouled in the closing seconds who made the game-winning free throws for Buducnost, is his team’s best foul shooting at 94.3% (33 for 35) on the season.

Buducnost’s rebounding advantage at first seems marginal, 29-28. But the home team grabbed 12 offensive boards – including 5 from [Alen Omic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/alen-omic/004222/) – and had 19 second-chance points. Hapoel had just 8 offensive rebounds and 11 second-chance points.

And finally turnovers. Hapoel’s 17 were 4 more than Buducnost. And Buducnost’s 15 points off turnovers were 5 more than Hapoel had.

Add it all up and you get a sweet victory for Buducnost. And a long trip home for Hapoel, which will have to go to work on the details.

Free throws, rebounds and turnovers were key in Podgorica 

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2025-01-15T18:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca bounced back in style from its last home loss against Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem by pulling off a hard-fought win in Venice against Umana Reyer, 77-88, at the Palasport Taliercio in Round 15 on the BKT EuroCup

Cluj shocks Venice on the road, 77-88

U-BT Cluj-Napoca bounced back in style from its last home loss against Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem by pulling off a hard-fought win in Venice against Umana Reyer, 77-88, at the Palasport Taliercio on Wednesday night. Despite being ahead for 29 minutes, Cluj saw Venice tie the game entering the last period but managed to hold on and punished its opponent with a 0-10 run late in the game after the home team came within 77-78.

Zavier Simpson led all scorers with 25 points and also contributed 6 rebounds and 7 assists for a career-high PIR of 36. DJ Seeley followed with 16 points, Sasu Salin added 12, Mareks Mejeris chipped in 11 and Zach Hankins and Adam Makoka delivered 10 apiece for the winners. Tyler Ennis paced Reyer with 19 points of which 15 came in the first half. Mfiondu Kabengele recorded a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards, Jordan Parks scored 15 and Davide Moretti had 10 in the losing effort.

Seeley and Simpson run the show for the visitors early in the game. The former opened fire with back-to-back threes and the latter added a four-point play and an acrobatic layup to boost Cluj to a 2-12 lead after just 3 minutes. Reyer stopped the game, but had to wait until Xavier Munford took the court to see a reaction. Despite having missed all games since Round 1, he immediately delivered a three that Ennis followed with another two of his own to bring the hosts within 13-16. Cluj didn’t step back, though, and used a timeout to lock down on defense and keep the hosts scoreless for the next 4 minutes, during which they reconstructed a 14-22 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Reyer kept struggling when the game resumed, unable to stop Hankins inside and allowing the Romanian backcourt to drive and score. As such, Cluj almost doubled the gap, making it 20-35 midway through the second quarter. Ennis came to the rescue for the home team, scoring 7 points in a row in less than 2 minutes to force a Cluj timeout with the score at 27-35. Kabengele shortened it even more with a baseline jumper, but the rally stopped when Seeley nailed a three and Makoka converted twice from the line to rebuild a double-digit lead, 29-40. A late layup by Mejeris, capping a superb ball movement by Cluj, closed the first half with the visitors ruling 29-42.

Kabengele stepped up right after the intermission, leading Reyer's offense with 6 consecutive points and securing the boards on both ends to reduce the gap to 35-42. Even though the visitors tried to slow down the hosts with a timeout, Reyer had already found its spark. Parks drilled a tough jumpshot, Seeley provided a layup and Kabengele kept delivering from the free throw line to make it a one-possession game, 44-46. Ennis evened things soon after, but Makoka, Mejeris and Salin showed up from deep with one triple each to abort the rally, 51-55. Cluj stopped a little bit when Hankins collected his third and a technical foul, as Wiltjer nailed his first three of the game to give Venice its first lead, 57-56, after 29 minutes. Amadeo Tessitori got the hosts even hotter with a three-point play, but Mejeris beat the shot-clock buzzer to close the third quarter with a 60-60 tie.

Mejeris inside and Simpson outside took the reins from Cluj entering the last stanza, allowing the visitors to regain a short advantage, 62-66. The hosts had Moretti as their main weapon, as he provided a couple of three-pointers to match the visitors’ offensive production. It wasn’t enough, though, because Seeley joined the party with a triple of his own and Simpson added a three-point play to cool it down, 70-76, with 6 minutes remaining. Reyer pushed inside with Kabengele once he got back on court, but cool-blooded Cluj responded to all comeback attempts. Salin hit from downtown to make it 77-81 when Reyer got within 1, as Simpson went again to the line to extend it to 77-83 entering clutch-time. Consecutive missed three-point attempts by Munford and Ennis allowed Salin to get another one and make it 77-86 soon after, good to seal the outcome and secure a tie-breaker advantage against Reyer.

A 0-10 run in the last 3 minutes decided the game for Cluj