U-BT Cluj-Napoca came away with an 89-74 win at home to Buducnost VOLI in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca comfortably defeats Buducnost VOLI, 89-74

U-BT Cluj-Napoca came away with a big 89-74 win at home to Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season on Wednesday night, which improved its record to 3-1 and saw the visitors drop to 2-2. The home side took the lead for good midway through the second quarter, as it responded to last week's loss at Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in the perfect way possible. Buducnost, meanwhile, has now lost both of its road games this season.

The 36-year-old Andrija Stipanovic paced Cluj with a team-high 18 points, with Adam Mokoka (16 points), Patrick Richard (15) and Jarell Eddie (13) also joining him in double figures. For Buducnost, birthday boy McKinley Wright scored a game-high 21 points. Jacorey Williams chipped in with 16 points and Yoan Makoundou added 14.

Game News

The first quarter got off to a good start for Buducnost, as Wright scored 8 of the team's first 10 points as it opened a 6-10 lead. Brandon Paul drained a three not long after to open a 6-point gap, 9-15, but Cluj fought back through D.J. Seeley and Stipanovic, who had 6 points apiece in the first quarter. Mokoka's corner triple in the final seconds tied the game at 25-25 after 10 minutes.

Things remained pretty tight at the start of the second quarter, but a Richard triple led to a big roar from the home crowd inside BT-Arena, 35-31. Another triple by Eddie, 38-34, meant Cluj had gone an impressive 7-of-13 from deep, before Emanuel Cate's block on Aleksa Ilic resulted in another burst of noise from the home supporters. At halftime, Cluj took a 48-43 lead into the break.

Game Videos

Wright kept Buducnost within distance of Cluj, scoring a pretty layup to move to 17 points, 55-48, but the visitors then lost their head coach after two quick technical fouls were called against Petar Mijovic. The first was after the refs blew for a moving screen by Williams, and the second was after a foot violation was called against Cluj's Stipanovic. While Buducnost started to suffer, Cluj kept moving forward and ended up closing the third quarter 10 points ahead, 68-58.

Mokoka ended up opening what was a game-high 15-point lead by draining a triple less than a couple of minutes into the final period, 73-58. Buducnost tried to respond, but Cluj just kept putting points on the board. Perhaps the final dagger in the visitors' heart came midway through the fourth quarter, when Richard beat the shot-clock buzzer to hit a three-pointer, making it 82-67 in the process. In the end, Cluj was able to see its 89-74 win over the line with relative ease.

Jacorey Williams of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and Andrija Stipanovic of U-BT Cluj-Napoca in action during their teams' Round 4 matchup in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The hosts fired on all cylinders en route to a convincing win, led by Andrija Stipanovic, Adam Mokoka and Patrick Richard.

Cluj comfortably defeats Buducnost, 89-74

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-10-25T16:00:00.000Z)

Round 5 of the BKT EuroCup lands with four games on Tuesday and six more on Wednesday. Here's your guide to the action, including the red-hot reigning champ facing another perfect team. 

Unbeaten teams collide in a mouthwatering Round 4

### Wednesday, October 25

[U-BT Cluj-Napoca 89-74 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ubt-cluj-napoca-comfortably-defeats-buducnost-voli-89-74/)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca came away with a big 89-74 win at home to Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season on Wednesday night, which improved its record to 3-1 and saw the visitors drop to 2-2. The home side took the lead for good midway through the second quarter, as it responded to last week's loss at Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in the perfect way possible. Buducnost, meanwhile, has now lost both of its road games this season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">At home, we are invincible! <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroCup</a> 🙌🤍🖤<br><br>Final <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UBT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UBT</a> 89 - 74 <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKBuducnostVOLI</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/BKTEuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BKTEuroCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/waVVcJejHx">pic.twitter.com/waVVcJejHx</a></p>&mdash; U-BT Cluj-Napoca (@UBTCluj) <a href="https://twitter.com/UBTCluj/status/1717243796641956222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 92-93 Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys-dolomiti-energia-trento/U2023/37/) 

Trento claimed its first win of the season, celebrating a dramatic victory at Liekabelis in Group B. The contest was settled when 20-year old British playmaker Quinn Ellis netted a floater off the rim with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. Ellis paced Trento with 13 points and 10 assists. Paul Biligha and Davide Alviti also scored 13 points each for the visitors. Deividas Sirvydis and Gediminas Orelik poured in 20 points each for Liekabelis, which slipped to 1-3 while Trento improved to 1-3.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">QUINN ELLIS WINS THE GAME 🚨🚨🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/AquilaBasketTN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AquilaBasketTN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/EfuHLhwwJ2">pic.twitter.com/EfuHLhwwJ2</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1717239630532153407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 83-90 Prometey Slobozhanske](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana-prometey-slobozhanske/U2023/31/)

Prometey snapped a two-game losing streak and pulled out a valuable win over Cedevita at Arena Stozice on Wednesday. The visitors trailed 22-32 early in the second quarter, but managed to swing it to 51-61 after the intermission and confirmed the outcome in the fourth quarter. Prometey, which improved to 2-2, was led by Ronald March, who finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Klemen Prepelic tallied 16 points and 11 assists in his first game this season for Cedevita, which remained winless with 4 defeats in as many games.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FULL TIME | <a href="https://twitter.com/BcPrometey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BcPrometey</a> outgunned the Dragons in Stožice.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZmajevaDruzina?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZmajevaDruzina</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BKTEuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BKTEuroCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/1Y1ZmsHO25">pic.twitter.com/1Y1ZmsHO25</a></p>&mdash; Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana - English (@KKCedOL_EN) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL_EN/status/1717248480735891461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Turk Telekom 78-91 ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/turk-telekom-ankara-ratiopharm-ulm/U2023/38/)

Ulm left Ankara victorious after beating Turk Telekom 78-91. The hosts dominated the first quarter, but then Georginho De Paula scored 14 points in the second to give Ulm the lead for good. It was a 16-point margin early in the second half, 33-49, but Turk Telekom fought back to make it a 3-point game, 71-74. That wasn’t enough, though, as Ulm finished strong to take the road win. De Paula led the way with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, with Dakota Mathias adding 19. Tyrone Wallace paced the hosts with 15 points The result lifted Ulm's record to 3-1 in Group B and dropped Turk Telekom to 1-3.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Revanche geglückt 💥🧡<br><br>Die Uuulmer revanchieren sich für das Viertelfinal-Aus in der vergangenen Spielzeit und schlägt Turk Telekom mit 78:91. 🏀 <a href="https://t.co/AiE6g29NOQ">pic.twitter.com/AiE6g29NOQ</a></p>&mdash; ratiopharm ulm (@ratiopharmulm) <a href="https://twitter.com/ratiopharmulm/status/1717262037317812493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Slask Wroclaw 63-80 Aris Midea Thessaoliniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/slask-wroclaw-aris-midea-thessaloniki/U2023/39/)

Aris grabbed its first road win of the season by beating Slask at Hala Orbita on Wednesday. It was a see-saw duel in the first half, but Aris tightened its defense after the break to secure its second win in a row. The visitors improved to 2-2 and Slask dropped to 0-4. Roberto Gallinat paced Aris with 23 points and 9 drawn fouls and Marcus Carr had 18 points. Hassani Gravett and Artsiom Parakhouski scored 11 points each for the hosts.

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[Dreamland Gran Canaria 84-76 Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/dreamland-gran-canaria-mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse/U2023/36/)

Reigning champion Gran Canaria breezed to a home win over Bourg in a Group B clash, which occasionally lived up to expectations but served up preciously little fireworks in the second half. Ben Lammers paced Gran Canaria with 17 points and 7 rebounds and Pierre Pelos added 12 points and 6 rebounds against his former club. At the other end, Jeremy Morgan led Bourg with 13 points. The result left Granca atop the group with a 4-0 record while Bourg lost its first game to fall to 3-1. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🏀 Final:<br><br>🐥 Dreamland Gran Canaria 84<br>🔴 Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 76 <br><br>🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VamosGranca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VamosGranca</a> <a href="https://t.co/qECj8eX0bx">pic.twitter.com/qECj8eX0bx</a></p>&mdash; Dreamland Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1717284258941677993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Tuesday, October 24

[Wolves Vilnius 90-88 Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/wolves-vilnius-besiktas-emlakjet-istanbul/U2023/32/)

Wolves put on a show their fans will never forget with a come-from-behind win in their first-ever home game in the EuroCup. The hosts led for much of the game, but needed to erase a late 8-point deficit to rally past Besiktas at Avia Solutions Group Arena in the Lithuanian capital. The victory was the club's first-ever win in the competition and saw it improve to 1-2 in Group A, while Besiktas fell to 3-1. Tre'Shawn Thurman was the star of the game with 31 points and 7 rebounds, including what proved to be the game-winner after a steal with 7.7 seconds remaining. Matt Mitchell paced Besiktas with 21 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That&#39;s how you STEAL a GAME! <br><br>With 10 seconds to go in the game <a href="https://twitter.com/wolves_bc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wolves_bc</a> come up with a miracle steal to win their first game of the season 😲<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/20YHpYaljs">pic.twitter.com/20YHpYaljs</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1716884677523616112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Veolia Towers Hamburg 72-111 Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/veolia-towers-hamburg-hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/U2023/34/)

Hapoel remained perfect in the EuroCup as it rolled to a record-breaking blowout victory at Hamburg in Group A. Hapoel set club marks for most points in a game and in a quarter - 36 in the first 10 minutes. Xavier Munford paced six Hapoel players in double figures with 22 points while Braian Angola added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Hamburg continues its search for its first win of the season at 0-4 despite VJ King scoring 22 points in the loss. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">לא אפורים בכלל!<br><br>הפועל מנצחת את המבורג ועולה למאזן 3:0 ביורוקאפ.<br><br>יאללה הפועל❤️ <a href="https://t.co/gSn4GE6Nsi">pic.twitter.com/gSn4GE6Nsi</a></p>&mdash; Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/HapoelTLVBC/status/1716899466157187480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Umana Reyer Venice 79-64 Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/umana-reyer-venice-joventut-badalona/U2023/33/)

Reyer celebrated its first EuroCup win of the season after serving up a spectacular performance to defeat visiting Joventut on the back of a magnificent effort from sharp-shooting guard Marco Spissu. The 28-year old playmaker sank a game-high 24 points, while Amedeo Tessidori contributed with 16 points and Ray Jon Tucker added 14. Deshaun Thomas paced Joventut with 20 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Splendidi LEONI 🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bigwin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bigwin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/qhsqmxIT5A">pic.twitter.com/qhsqmxIT5A</a></p>&mdash; Reyer Venezia (@REYER1872) <a href="https://twitter.com/REYER1872/status/1716913009065615769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[London Lions 102-106 Paris Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/london-lions-paris-basketball/U2023/35/)

London pushed Paris for 50 minutes before the latter celebrated a road win to stun a record crowd at Copperbox Arena on Tuesday. The hosts pulled off some big buckets at the end of regular time and first overtime to get a second and third chance in the game, but Paris came out victorious from this clash despite its star T.J. Shorts fouling out early in the second overtime. Paris improved to 4-0, while London dropped to 3-1. Shorts paced Paris with 24 points and Nadir Hifi added 20. Matt Morgan scored a game-high 26 points for London.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THIS IS EUROCUP BASKETBALL!!!<br><br>After 2 OTs <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ParisBasketball</a> grab a HUGE victory on the road to top Group A 🔝<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/V2mNSlDzT9">pic.twitter.com/V2mNSlDzT9</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1716924939188736065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Round 4 of the BKT EuroCup came to a close on Wednesday with six games, in which four teams celebrated on the road.  

Game Center: Trento, Prometey, Ulm, Aris strike on the road

Slask Wroclaw v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2023-10-25T18:00:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom Ankara v ratiopharm Ulm (2023-10-25T17:00:00.000Z)

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2023-10-25T16:00:00.000Z)

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2023-10-25T19:00:00.000Z)

London Lions v Paris Basketball (2023-10-24T18:30:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2023-10-24T17:30:00.000Z)

Umana Reyer Venice v Joventut Badalona (2023-10-24T18:00:00.000Z)

Wolves Vilnius v Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul (2023-10-24T16:00:00.000Z)

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Prometey Slobozhanske (2023-10-25T16:30:00.000Z)

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica playmaker Petar Popovic returns for another season of blogging his way through the BKT EuroCup! Popovic started his career with Lovcen Cetinje in his native Montenegro and also played for Nea Kifissia of Greece and Mega of Serbia before joining Buducnost in 2016.

Petar Popovic, Buducnost: 'This group has the best young point guards in Europe'

Fun fact: if Buducnost wins the EuroCup, he would become the second Petar Popovic to lift the trophy; there was another Petar Popovic who won the 2007-08 EuroCup with Joventut Badalona. They are not related. There was a third basketball-playing Petar Popovic whose son Marko was the MVP of the 2011 EuroCup Finals. Popovic will continue to share his thoughts this season as he hopes to be the last blogger standing to tell us what it feels to be a EuroCup champion.

Another EuroCup season is underway! We've played three games, won two of them and lost against Turk Telekom at the buzzer. We had our chance, but I think we played bad in the first half and that cost us the game. It is still the start of the season and there are a lot of new players on our team. We are still trying to find ourselves, to fit together as good as we can, so I think our scores are okay so far. I feel we could have won in Turkiye but it is what it is. We are moving on, and the next game is against Cluj in Romania.

"It feels a bit weird to be in the EuroCup for so many years."

We will take a charter flight to go to Cluj, which is great. We got the news and it is really amazing. The club did a great job to arrange a charter to Romania. A couple of days ago, we were checking the map to see which city was close to Cluj and basically, there are no big cities close to it. It is a 6-7 hour drive from Bucharest and 4-5 hours from Debrecen, so we were worried. In the end, we get the best out of it: we will take the charter flight and return quickly after the game, too. I am very thankful to the club for it!

We were lucky last year and went to London and Paris. This season, it is the other way around and we are going to, let's say, more exotic places. I don't know about Cluj: we have some friends playing in Romania, and they said that the city is nice. So I think it will be a nice experience, even though it is a business trip; we go there to work. I have been to Bourg, which is our next game, twice. It is usually very rainy, so I haven't seen anything. I hope Cluj and Bourg will be nice, we will have at least a little walk on Tuesday night to see what's going on and how the city is.  

Petar Popovic Top Plays of the 2023-24 Regular Season

2023-24 EuroCup highlights: Petar Popovic, Buducnost

We have a lot of new players. Allerik Freeman signed for us but I didn't even meet him. As soon as we came back from the national team, he already had a back injury. He underwent surgery and should be back soon. He is one of 11 new players on the team. I think we have a very good team, with a good balance between experienced players and young guys like Colbey Ross and McKinley Wright. They have the desire to prove themselves, to show they can play well in Europe, at a high level. So I think we made a good balance, also with Makoundou, who arrived from Monaco. I think we can have a good season. We have to be careful and go step by step, a lot of things can go wrong. We have to go game by game to get the best out of this team.

I am 27 and in my seventh EuroCup season. I was talking to Aleksa Ilic and told him that for 5 or 6 years, we have been the youngest players on the team. Years went by but we were still the youngest, but this season, half of the team is younger than us! It's nice, that's the real picture. We don't deserve to be the youngest but also not the eldest. I don't pay too much attention to that but it's nice to see that you are somewhere in the middle, with younger players and more experienced ones around you. It feels a bit weird to be in the EuroCup for so many years. Seven years is a lot.

"There are no games in which you cannot be well-prepared or focused."

At the same time, being in this EuroCup group, I am going to face some of the best young point guards in Europe. We played an elimination game against Ulm last season and I played against Juan Nunez. He had a good game. We all know that he is very talented and the things that he showed, also this summer with the Spanish national team and last season, I think that it's really nice to have the new guys like Nunez ready to play. Spain is bringing out a lot of talents for the future. Their school is well-known, the steps players have to make to go through... they don't make mistakes in making good players. 

It is always a pleasure to play against talent, especially for me. I like to watch basketball, analyze and see which new guys are coming. I really like it and enjoy it. Take Hugo Benitez of Bourg, for example. He is playing well, much better than when we played against him two years ago. I was young and it is nice to see he is having a breakout season. His role is much bigger this year, but of course, I like watching these games and am looking forward to playing against him.

So far, it has been an interesting group and of course, everyone is going to defend the home-court advantage as much as possible. Last week, Gran Canaria had to fight for 38-39 minutes to win in Trento. Besiktas is playing really well, also Ulm. Above all, you have to be well-prepared at home, defend your court and go away to be brave, trying to take as many risks as possible. It is also a different format, only six teams qualify and that makes it more interesting. There are no games in which you cannot be well-prepared or focused. Every game matters! We will try to win as many games as possible. It is a long way to go, 15 more games!

To get through two overtimes on the road to stay unbeaten, everyone on Paris Basketball's roster contributed.

Paris's next-man-up mentality sealed double-OT win in London

Despite the London Lions sending the game to overtime twice and its star T.J. Shorts among several players who fouled out in the extra times, Paris Basketball leaned on its next-man-up mentality to [celebrate a golden road win at the Copperbox Arena](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/london-lions-paris-basketball/U2023/35/) on Tuesday. 

Paris was outscored 25-8 in the third quarter and London took a 66-56 lead into the fourth, but that's when Shorts scored 10 of his 24 points to inspire his team's comeback. The visitors were up 81-84 with 0:07 to go, but London star Sam Dekker knocked down a huge triple to send the game to its first overtime.

Despite receiving that blow, Paris saw Mikael Jantunen step up and score 4 points for an 87-92 lead. Nonetheless, London bounced back again and Gabe Olaseni scored a decisive basket to force just the third double-overtime EuroCup game in the last five years.

"I'm still speechless about the performance of the guys, because we were on the ropes a couple of times, especially in a very bad third quarter and then the fourth quarter," Paris head coach Tuomas Iisalo gushed after the spectacular victory. 

"We came back and we came very close to seal the game, but then an incredible shot by Dekker in a situation where we couldn't foul even if we wanted to. And then the same situation, again up in the first overtime... and to have that taken away… It says a lot about the character, says a lot about the mental fortitude of our guys."

Even more incredible in that second overtime was that the guests saw both Jantunen and Tyson Ward, who had netted 12 points each until then, foul out. Mehdy Ngouama, who had scored huge baskets late in regulation time, had already committed 5 fouls and Shorts, the team leader, was soon to follow them to the bench. But Paris didn't give up. More protagonists would emerge, as the visitors entered into Lernaean-Hydra mode.

"It's incredible," Shorts said afterwards. "Every single guy stepped up tonight. We had three guys fouled out, buys playing big minutes. From the top guy to the bottom guy, I can call out every guy that stepped on the court and think of big plays that they made to win this game.”

Nadir Hifi and Bandja Sy stepped up in the last minutes of the game, with the former sinking a triple and the latter being decisive at both ends, as he recorded 4 points and 2 steals late in the game to seal the guests' fourth victory of the season.

"Even though some of our key players fouled out, we always found new contributors from the bench," Iisalo added. "I'm very, very proud of our group."

Shorts scored a team-high 24 points, Hifi added 20 and Collin Malcolm had 16. Paris's bench scored 51 of the team's 106 points of the night. 

Most importantly, Paris demonstrated to other BKT EuroCup contenders that it has the roster and the resilience to keep competing even without its stars. That quality not only makes them unpredictable and one of the favorites to win the trophy this season.

Bandja Sy’s decisive plays clinch Paris double overtime win

T.J. Shorts fouled out of the game just a few seconds into the second overtime and the London Lions made the most of the boost in morale they received to go on a 5-0 run and make it 102-97 with 3:37 left on the clock. When Nadir Hifi missed a jump shot in the next possession, the record-breaking crowd of 6,152 at Copperbox Arena may have instantly thought that it was time for the hosts to put the game to bed.

Enter an energized [Bandja Sy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/bandja-sy/005793/), who grabbed the offensive rebound and got Paris within 102-99 with a put-back basket before stealing the ball at the other end. Hifi sank an off-balance three-pointer on offense to tie the game up, 102-102, and then Collin Malcolm found Sy, who dunked with force off the baseline to take his tally to 11 points for a 102-104 Paris lead with 1:49 to go.

Bandja Sy's best plays against London

Sy stepped on defense again in the next possession and recorded his third steal of the night when Paris needed him most. The Paris forward produced an extraordinary performance off the bench, going 5-for-5 from the field, as he made 4 of 4 two-point shots and 1 of 1 triples. He also downed 6 rebounds for a team joint-high PIR of 21.

Shorts may have scored 24 points, and Hifi 20, but had it not been for a possessed Sy in the second overtime, Paris may have not managed to soak up London’s pressure, as the hosts had gained momentum after Shorts committed his fifth foul. The visitors are now the only team in Group A to have gone unbeaten in their first four games of the season and Sy’s display in London was key to clinching this victory in what was the most entertaining BKT EuroCup game so far this season.

Bandja Sy's decisive plays clinched Paris's double overtime win

Superb Marco Spissu put Joventut to the sword with lethal shooting

Umana Reyer Venice earned its first BKT EuroCup win of the season against one of the toughest opponents the Italian club will face in Group A as it beat last season’s semifinalists Joventut Badalona 79-64 thanks to a rip-roaring second-half display from playmaker Marco Spissu.

The 28-year-old sank 4 three-pointers in the final quarter as Reyer turned a 50-52 deficit into a decisive 73-58 lead late in the game, which had the vocal home fans in raptures after a physical contest and a very low-scoring first half.

Marco Spissu shined for Reyer against Joventut

Reyer led 33-26 at the interval but Jovenut looked the more likely winner after turning the tables in the second half despite poor long-range shooting and being on the back foot in the paint. Ultimately, they were undone by impeccable artillery from Spissu, who racked up a game-high 24 points on 5-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

"The first win for us in the EuroCup, just 48 hours after a derby game \[in the Italian League\]," an elated Spissu said after the game. "We were a little bit tired but we showed up in front of our fans and right now we just want to keep going."

Joventut was comprehensively outplayed in all departments as Reyer racked up a whopping 42 rebounds against the visiting team’s 37.

Joventut shot a miserable 1 of 14 from three-point range while Reyer nailed 8 of 25. The home side also had more assists (21-16) and fewer turnovers (13-15), having shot 57% from two-point territory while the visitors managed a mere 44%.

Just as crucially, Spissu’s effort was complemented by sound performances from Amedeo Tessidori (16 points and 8 rebounds) and Ray Jon Tucker (14 points and 6 rebounds), while Deshaun Thomas cut a lonely offensive figure for Joventut with 20 points.

"We played a terrible game and I didn’t recognize my team out there," Joventut’s disgruntled head coach Carles Duran told the post-game press conference. "We made too many stupid mistakes. We gave ourselves a fighting chance in the fourth quarter, but Spissu was outstanding."

Duran’s Reyer counterpart Neven Spahija was delighted with the outcome.

"We were pretty consistent defensively and although we struggled on offense, we scored 31 points in the fourth quarter," he said. "Congratulations to the players and we are looking forward to the upcoming games."

The Italian international guard was perfect from long range as Reyer dismantled the visitors

Superb Spissu put Joventut to the sword with lethal shooting

Paris outlasts London after double overtime, 102-106

The London Lions pushed Paris Basketball for 50 minutes before the latter celebrated a 102-106 road win to stun a record crowd at Copperbox Arena on Tuesday night. The hosts pulled off some big buckets at the end of regular time and first overtime to get a second and third chance in the game, but Paris came out victorious from this clash despite its star T.J. Shorts fouling out early in the second overtime. Paris improved to 4-0, while London dropped to 3-1.

Shorts paced Paris with 24 points, Nadir Hifi added 20 and Collin Malcolm recorded 16. Matt Morgan scored a game-high 26 points for London, with Sam Dekker pairing his 19 points with 10 rebounds for a double-double. Gabe Olaseni netted 16 points and downed 11 rebounds for the hosts.

Donte Grantham opened the scoring for London and Dekker sank a couple of layups in a row for a 6-0 run. Paris shot 0-for-6 from the field in the opening stages, but made the most of back-to-back London turnovers to bring the game within 6-4. Conor Morgan drilled a triple off the bench and Tarik Phillip scored on the break for a 13-8 lead. Hifi took his tally to 7 points, as Paris tied the game, 15-15. Luke Nelson pulled up for a fade-away jumper to beat the first-quarter buzzer, but Tyson Ward knocked down one from downtown for Paris’s first lead in the game, 21-22.

A 0-6 Paris run gave the guests a 26-31 cushion and forced London head coach Petar Bozic to call a timeout. Hifi sank a three and Malcolm scored a basket for double-digit Paris lead, 28-38. Dekker and Matt Morgan inspired London to a 7-0 surge, but Ward and Sy sank back-to-back triples for a 41-48 Paris lead heading into halftime.

London hit the ground running in the second half with a 10-0 run to recover the lead, 51-48. Paris struggled on offense and committed 5 turnovers, scoring just a couple of points in the first 7 minutes after the break, but London had already secured a 61-50 lead following a strong start to the third quarter. Shorts and Malcolm scored a basket each, but Conor Morgan sank a three-pointer to restore a double-digit lead for the hosts, 66-56.

Paris responded with a 0-8 spurt in the fourth quarter, with Shorts scoring 7 points to get his team within 68-66. Mikael Jantunen sank a triple and Mehdy Ngouama scored 4 points to put Paris ahead, 73-77, with 3:40 left on the clock. A Malcolm monster dunk and a Shorts basket would have clinched the win for the guests had Dekker not drilled one from downtown to make it 84-84 and send the game to overtime.

Malcolm, Shorts and Jantunen scored a basket each for an 85-90 Paris lead, but Matt Morgan went 3-for-3 from the line to bring London within 90-92 with 2 minutes left on the clock. Shorts sank a jump-shot, but Dekker responded with a layup on the break after a Paris turnover. Hifi knocked down an off-balance triple with less than a minute to go, but Matt Morgan completed a three-point play at the other end. Olaseni tied the game up 97-97 with 7 seconds remaining. Paris had the last possession, but Shorts missed a jump shot and the game went to second overtime.

Paris was dealt a huge blow, as Shorts committed his fifth foul a few seconds into the second overtime. Olaseni scored a basket and Dekker sank a triple for a 5-0 run, but Paris responded with a 0-7 surge of its own to restore a 102-104 lead. Herrera remained ice-cold from the foul line, going 2-for-2 in the last seconds to seal the victory for the guests.

The hosts took the game to second overtime, but an inspired Paris side displayed a refuse-to-lose spirit.

Roaring Reyer picks Joventut apart, 79-64

Umana Reyer Venice celebrated its first BKT EuroCup win of the season after serving up a spectacular performance to defeat visiting Joventut Badalona 79-64 on the back of a magnificent effort from sharp-shooting guard Marco Spissu.

The 28-year-old playmaker sank a game-high 24 points, having nailed all 5 of his three-point attempts, 2 of 3 from inside the arc and 5 of 6 from the foul line. He also racked up 4 rebounds and 6 assists, while Amedeo Tessidori contributed with 16 points and Ray Jon Tucker added 14.

Deshaun Thomas paced Joventut with 20 points and Yannick Kraag contributed 12. Last season’s semifinalists shot a miserable 1 of 14 from three-point range.

Reyer improved to 1-3 in Group A following successive defeats to London Lions, Paris Basketball and Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, while Joventut slipped to 2-2.

It was a rugged and physical contest from start to finish as Reyer laid the gauntlet with aggressive defense which Joventut struggled to cope with all night. The visitors led 17-19 at the end of the first quarter on the back of 8 points from Thomas but Reyer had already racked up 13 rebounds at that stage, 5 of them offensive.

The second quarter was a nightmare for Jovenut, however, as its center Vladimir Brodziansky limped off the court with a twisted ankle and Reyer conjured an 11-0 streak to take a commanding 31-23 lead. The home side held a 33-26 advantage at halftime, having amassed a staggering 24 rebounds (8 offensive).

Trailing 38-28 early in the third, Joventut hit back to slash the deficit to 48-47 at the end of the quarter, setting the scene for a dramatic finale that never came as Reyer ran riot in the final 10 minutes.

Steered by the unstoppable Spissu, the home team bounced back from a 50-52 deficit early in the fourth after Thomas had completed a five-point play for the visitors, having sunk a three-pointer, drawn a foul and then tipped his own rebound from a missed free throw. Spissu then nailed a pair of three-pointers to ignite a 13-0 run which turned the game on its head and moments later, he sank another two shots from way downtown as Reyer pulled away to 73-58 in the closing stages.

Oddly enough, Reyer coach Neven Spahija was only happy with the result. "The best thing tonight is that we won the game playing average basketball," Spahija said after the game. "It's not possible for us right now to play two \[good\[ games in three days and if we want to improve, we need to play better basketball. But I would like to congratulate my players, we found the best line-up and won the game."

The Italian side produced its best EuroCup performance of the season to stun its more heralded Spanish rival.

Wolves Vilnius's maiden EuroCup win was one to remember

"Well, what can I tell? Probably the best describing word would be 'wow'."

The above quote is how Wolves Vilnius head coach Kestutis Kemzura summed up his team's historic victory over Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul on Tuesday night.

It's not often that a coach leans on the word "Wow" so prominently to describe a game. Perhaps the most famous example game from one of Kemzura's mentors.

Kemzura served as David Blatt's assistant coach at four different clubs – Dynamo St. Petersburg in Russia, Benetton Treviso in Italy, Darussafaka Istanbul in Turkey and Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece. When Blatt won the Turkish Airline EuroLeague in 2014 with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he opened the post-game press conference with [the following story](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exLt0VIlLxs).

"One of the greatest quotes that I ever read in my life was from the last moments of Steve Jobs’s life. Did anyone ever see or hear what he said before he passed away? He was a great man, one of the great modern-day leaders and visionaries. Did anyone ever hear about what he said just before he passed away? I can’t believe you didn’t see this story. He said, before he passed away, the last word he said was: 'Wow.' "

Wolves Vilnius-Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul | Round 4 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

Surely Wolves' exciting victory over Besiktas does not compare to winning the EuroLeague, but for Kemzura and Wolves, it was a historic watershed moment. Not only was it was the club's first-ever home game in the BKT EuroCup, but Wolves rallied to win the game in the closing seconds. And the victory was also Wolves' first in competition history.

"I like to use a lot of examples form basketball in our lives," Kemzura continued in the press conference. "You have to fight until the end and it's not over till it's not over. I'm very proud of my guys that we fought until the end… It was a tough game, as we expected. Our opponent came back in the second half more aggressive, more physical and we struggled. We struggled to execute, we struggled to score."

Kemzura then pointed to his heart to show what earned the team the victory.

The stats back that up as Wolves outnumbered Besiktas in nearly all the hustle categories including offensive rebounds (17-11), second-chance points (17-15), points off turnovers (13-9), fastbreak points (8-4), rebounds (33-28) and steals (5-4).

Though some of those advantages may be slim, the game was decided by just 2 points. In fact, the game-winning basket with 7.7 seconds left was the result of a Tre'Shawn Thurman's steal.

"I'm almost lost for words," Thurman said afterwards.

The Wolves forward was a hero so many ways after posting 31 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. He made 8 of 9 two-pointers and 4 of 6 threes in amassing a PIR of 37. But none of that mattered to him as much as the main goal.

"All I thought about was the win. That’s all I cared about," Thurman said.

Indeed, it was a historic victory in Vilnius.