Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 16 of the BKT EuroCup, and who might be missing in action.

Round 16: Pregame quotes and injury reports

## Wednesday, January 22

### Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius vs. Dreamland Gran Canaria (18:00 CET)

**Alessandro Magro, Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius head coach**

"We have absolutely to try to bounce back after the last two games we played. After the last game we had, we want to try to show ourselves and even our fans that we still believe, and we have the desire to reach the play-off. It will be a tough game against a very solid team. The game in Gran Canaria was great in order of the effort, the physicality, the defense, and we want to try to repeat that kind of game."

**Jeffery Taylor, Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius forward**

"It's like a final for us. We really need to win that game. We have to approach it that way, be focused and follow our game plan. Like every other game, we're going to give it all we've got."

### Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul vs. Trefl Sopot (18:00 CET)

**Nick Johnson, Trefl Sopot guard**

"I've played them a lot myself, playing in Turkiye. They're a lot like Bahcesehir, which we played a little bit ago. Great team all around, we're going to have to do what we do as far as defending. I think you can see in the last couple of games we've been very physical. Obviously having new players is tough, but I think we're coming into our own, settling in, and meshing with the players we've got here. Just play a full game, full four quarters, and I think we can play with anybody."

### Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (18:45 CET)

**Dimitris Itoudis, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv head coach**

"We are playing against Bahcesehir, the leader of our group, and they fully deserve that position. They play excellent basketball, have a strong roster, are well-coached, and have many experienced players at the EuroLeague and EuroCup levels. As for us, despite some injury issues and players being ill, we’re back on track. We bounced back in the last game (against Ramat Gan, the Israeli Cup), demonstrating character and composure while sticking to our plan. We know it’s going to be a tough game, but we’re focused on building character, developing habits, and building cooperation and good chemistry. Through this process, we are becoming a team that thrives on hustle, and that’s what should define us during this period."

**Ish Wainright, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv forward**

"We are facing a tough team that beat us the last time, and we must respect them. We will be locked in and ready to give it our best from the jump until the clock hits 0:0. We are confident and ready to compete."

### ratiopharm Ulm vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (19:00 CET)

**Ty Harrelson, ratiopharm Ulm head coach**

"We have an extremely important game ahead of us. We have another chance to secure a playoff spot early. The boys will be ready to take the important step together with the fans behind them after we were unsuccessful twice recently."

### Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (19:30 CET)

**Frederic Fauthoux, Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse head coach**

"We will first tackle Cedevita which is in great shape currently, but I think we have the weapons to fight against them. It will be a real fight because they play very physical, I hope we will use the confidence we gained during the road trip and the energy in the room."

**Hugo Benitez, Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse guard**

"We know that the group is very tight, we have three games left against big teams, starting with Cedevita. It's going to be a very tough game physically, they have very talented players. We are therefore expecting a big game tomorrow, it is up to us to manage it well, if we want to win."

**Zvezdan Mitrovic, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana head coach**

"JL Bourg is an excellent team, a finalist from last season, and they've shown strong performances this year, as we experienced firsthand when they defeated us in Ljubljana. Our Wednesday game holds great significance for both sides, and we expect our opponents to be highly motivated and eager for a win. This will be our fifth game in 10 days and our fourth consecutive road game, so we'll see what condition we're in. Regardless, we aim for another victory."

**Jaka Blazic, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana guard**

"This will be the last of our four consecutive road games, this time in France. We need to continue with the same rhythm as in our previous games. After the Dubai game, we’ve had some time to prepare and recover. The game against JL Bourg is crucial in the playoff race, and we’re eager to step on the court."

### Valencia Basket vs. Aris Midea Thessaloniki (20:30 CET)

**Pedro Martinez, Valencia Basket head coach**

"We have to play a good game against a team that we miraculously beat on the road. It is the team that plays the hardest in our group, and I would say in the entire EuroCup. They play very aggressively in defense, it is the team that makes the most personal fouls in the competition. They are very aggressive, they create two-on-one situations, they put pressure on the entire court. We suffered a lot in \[Thessaloniki\]. We won because we are better, but it was not a comfortable match at any time. Let the past of that game help us to know that it is a team that made it very difficult for us. We don't have to think about the consequences of either winning or losing. We have to think about doing things well at minute 1, then at minute 2 and so on until minute 40. And if there is extra time, then until the game is over. What we have to do is prepare for difficulties and prepare for it to cost us. That's the best we can do. If it later costs you more or costs you less, you have prepare yourself for everything. And preparing for everything is not looking for what to do to be comfortable, but rather overcoming the discomfort that the rival is going to cause us for sure because they already did it \[in the first game\]."

**Injury report**: Brancou Badio will be out due to a severe right thigh bruise, while Ethan Happ is injured long-term, the club confirmed.

**Ioannis Kastritis, Aris Midea Thessaloniki head coach**

"We have the most difficult game of the season ahead, against the top ten of our group and the favorite to win the trophy. We had a difficult week and we have a crucial game ahead, for our domestic league. We have to match Valencia's energy and stop their high tempo, and play to the highest level possible in such a demanding game."

### Umana Reyer Venice vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (20:45 CET)

**Neven Spahija, Umana Reyer Venice head coach**

"Hapoel is a very strong team, I was surprised by their defeat in the last game in the EuroCup. We are a completely different team from the first game, but they also added players. They are really strong and it will be very difficult, but we want to keep playing like we have been doing lately. We have to play with the same concentration we had for most of the game against Milan. We have won six of the last seven games; the game against Cluj-Napoca was an accident, we have to give credit to them, but we did not approach the game in the right way. Concentration will be our priority."

**Carl Wheatle, Umana Reyer Venice guard**

"For sure it will be a very important game for us, we know that at this point of the EuroCup every game becomes crucial for the future. Our goal is to qualify for the second phase, the playoffs, and we know that Jerusalem is in a similar situation to us, with one more win. So it will be a very intense game against a team that has a lot of points in their hands and very good scorers. We must always focus on our defense and try to be fluid in offense, moving the ball well like against Milan."

**Injury report**: Davide Moretti (low back pain), Davide Casarin (muscle soreness in the left calf) and Giga Janelidze (low back pain) are all out.

## Tuesday, January 21

### U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. Turk Telekom Ankara (18:00 CET)

**Mihai Silvasan, U-BT Cluj-Napoca head coach**

"We are in good shape and we want to continue playing better. We hope to show quality tomorrow night. We want the victory and we will play in front of our own fans. I hope we will have a packed gym, so fans will help us in the tough moments. We will play against a good team, with players that can make the difference. For example, \[Anthony\] Brown scored almost 40 points against us in the first game. We need to show team effort, especially in defense and not allow easy baskets. Having the support of our fans, I hope we can get a victory. "

**Zavier Simpson, U-BT Cluj-Napoca guard**

"Obviously we are playing against a really good team. They beat us last time, so it is a motivation to win. We want to execute our game plan, so we just want to come up, play hard and smart on both ends of the floor. We need to listen to our coach so we can be ready to win. I mean, I am trying to win every game. If my teammates trust me to score, I will score."

### Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (19:30 CET)

**Benka Barloschky, Veolia Towers Hamburg head coach**

"I expect a lot of energy from our side. The defeat in the first leg definitely hurt. We didn't start badly at all, but then had a break from which we never recovered. The team from Panevezys is very physical – not necessarily fast and athletic, but very strong. And they like to drag the game out into the half court. We have to stand up to that. We've stopped our opponents well in the last few games, but haven't been able to make enough use of our opportunities in offense. We definitely have to do better."

### Joventut Badalona vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento (20:30 CET)

**Dani Miret, Joventut Badalona head coach**

"Tomorrow we have one final bullet. We must win all three games and focus on what depends on us. We are playing against a very competitive team that has been leading the Italian League. They are very physical and like to run a lot. We must give our all and be focused to be able to dominate and compete very well. We have to realize that tomorrow is a game we have to win because if we don't, our chances are over."

**Jordan Ford, Dolomiti Energia Trento guard**

"Tomorrow's game will be a good test for us. Winning on the road in the EuroCup is always complicated, but to succeed we will have to be determined both defensively and offensively. It will be crucial to share the ball, play together and move their defense. We know that Joventut has only one more win than us in the standings, and tomorrow's challenge offers us the opportunity to hook them up and keep our playoff hopes alive."

**Joventut injury report**: Miye Oni is questionable, while Miguel Allen is out.

Joventut Badalona v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2025-01-21T19:30:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg v 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2025-01-21T18:30:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Turk Telekom Ankara (2025-01-21T17:00:00.000Z)

Umana Reyer Venice v Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (2025-01-22T19:45:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2025-01-22T19:30:00.000Z)

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2025-01-22T18:30:00.000Z)

ratiopharm Ulm v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2025-01-22T18:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Bahcesehir College Istanbul (2025-01-22T17:45:00.000Z)

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2025-01-22T17:00:00.000Z)

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul v Trefl Sopot (2025-01-22T17:00:00.000Z)

A player who posts personal records in a game usually overshadows the rest of the team with all eyes on the hero, but D.J. Seeley’s big night did exactly the opposite: it highlighted a selfless approach by his teammates who embodied the “all for one and one for all” proverb.

Teamwork facilitated Cluj’s huge win over Turk Telekom

A player who posts personal records in a game usually overshadows the rest of the team with all eyes on the hero, but [D.J. Seeley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/dennis-seeley/004862/)’s big night did exactly the opposite: it highlighted a selfless approach by his teammates who embodied the “all for one and one for all” proverb.

Seeley poured in a career-high 31 points in [U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/clu/)’s [94-81 home win over Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/dj-seeley-helps-cluj-brushes-aside-turk-telekom-94-81/), which left the Romanian champs firmly on course to reach the BKT EuroCup playoffs, behind a team 23 assists and good work from several other players.

[Zavier Simpson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/zavier-simpson/013302/) added 21 points, 11 of them in the fourth quarter with Seeley taking a back seat in the second half after sinking 25 points in the first. Simpson also dished out 10 assists while [De’Shawn Stephens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/de-shawn-stephens/006618/) and [Adam Mokoka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/adam-mokoka/012698/) chipped in with 10 points each to underline a smooth team effort which put Seeley to the fore.

The result left Cluj on a 9-7 record in Group B with two games remaining in the regular season, both of them road outings against teams that have no chance of reaching the playoffs. Cluj will be up against 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys followed by a visit to Aris Midea Thessaloniki in the final two rounds and head coach [Mihai Silvasan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/clu/silvasan-mihai/) warned his men against taking anything for granted.

“Big win for us and I want to start by thanking the supporters who really helped us,” Silvasan told reporters at the postgame press conference. “The job isn’t done yet as we can still fail to qualify, so we need to stay focused. I’m really happy with the way we played tonight, having had 23 assists and we scored 94 points, but it was also the defense that facilitated that.

“We played against a really good team with some really skilled players, but tonight we were the better team and we deserved to win. We move forward and need to keep our feet on the ground.”

<center>
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Turk Telekom might have expected a somewhat easier outing after a comfortable 99-80 win in the reverse fixture, but the visitors were stung by a torrid pace dictated by Cluj as much as by the fervent home fans who generated a raucous atmosphere in the gym.

Coach Erdem Can had no complaints, having conceded that his team got undone at both ends of the court.

“We gave too many open shots to our opponents and offensively we didn’t share the ball well enough. We have two more games and our target is to win both in order to achieve the best possible finish in the regular season.”

Turk Telekom plays Umana Reyer Venice at home in Round 17 before closing out its regular season campaign with a visit to Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, with both games coming as dogfights in the quest to reach the business end of the competition. 

Game News

D.J Seeley stood out as a result of an unselfish approach that allowed the swingman to fire on all cylinders 

Myles Cale started red-hot in Badalona by scoring Dolomiti Energia Trento's first 10 points en route to a career-high 21 on the back of 4-of-6 three-point shooting to lead his team to an 86-100 road win in Round 16 of the BKT EuroCup 

Myles Cale’s personal best helped keep Trento’s season alive

Before Tuesday’s meeting between [Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/roster/jov/?season=2024-25) and [Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dolomiti-energia-trento/roster/trn/?season=2024-25), it appeared that the Spanish team was mounting a late push to finish in Group A’s top six. Now, though, the script has been flipped and it’s Trento that looks capable of a late charge up the standings.

A convincing [86-100 road victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/trento-boosts-playoff-hopes-by-thrashing-joventut-86-100/) stopped Joventut’s two-game winning streak in its tracks, and means that Trento has instead put together impressive back-to-back victories after last week’s thumping [home win over ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/trento-rolls-past-ulm-86-71-to-keep-playoff-hopes-alive/).

As in that game, [Myles Cale](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/myles-cale/013269/) played a big part in the latest triumph. Having paired 14 points with 5 rebounds against the German team, the all-action guard started red-hot in Badalona by scoring his team’s first 10 points en route to a career-high 21 on the back of 4-of-6 three-point shooting.

Game Videos

But Cale wasn’t the only impressive performer for the visiting team, which did everything well: 22 assists, dished by nine different players; great shooting accuracy with 73.3% of two-pointers and 41.7% of threes converted; winning the rebounding battle 34-27; snaring 6 steals with relentless pressure on the ball.

Those numbers fully reflect Trento’s dominance on the night, and Cale was quick to hail his team’s collective effort as he said: “I think we all played really well together. We came out really good and played a good 40 minutes of basketball. Defensively and offensively – we were moving the ball and getting some good shots for each other.”

Visiting coach Paolo Galbiati was also rightfully delighted with his team’s performance, enthusing: “We used very well our strengths: our athleticism, our quickness and our different kind of physicality. They are huge in size, but we are a little bit stronger, undersized but fast, and we shot the ball very well.

“We attacked the targets we decided to attack all game long, and the players were very sharp on that.”

Next up, a home game against a Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius team that has struggled in recent weeks, before the regular season concludes with a testing trip to Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul. Both are must-win affairs for Galbiati’s men, who will also still need other results to go their way.

But Trento has clearly hit its best form of the season and, if the last two performances can be repeated in the two remaining games, the Italian team still has every chance of climbing into the top six and sneaking into postseason action.

Trento climbed above Joventut in the standings

Dolomiti Energia Trento kept its playoff ambitions alive with an 86-100 road win at Joventut Badalona, leaving the two teams tied at 6-8 just outside the Group A top six

Trento boosts playoff hopes by thrashing Joventut, 86-100

Dolomiti Energia Trento kept its playoff ambitions alive with an 86-100 road win at Joventut Badalona, leaving the two teams tied at 6-8 just outside the Group A top six. Trento also holds the head-to-head tiebreak advantage after completing a season sweep of the Spanish team.

Trento controlled the whole game, leading 44-52 at halftime and holding several double-digit advantages in the second half to cruise home. Myles Cale netted Trento’s first 10 points and top scored with 21, while Jordan Ford grabbed all of his 15 points in the last 12 minutes. Quinn Ellis scored 14, Anthony Lamb and Selom Mawugbe contributed 11, while Saliou Niang posted 8 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Sam Dekker paced Joventut with 19 points, with Devon Dotson adding 16. Ante Tomic and Kassius Robertson both scored 14 in defeat.

Dekker’s driving layup opened the scoring before Cale’s triple gave Trento its first lead. Art Pustovyi and Robertson netted inside, but Cale’s free throws and three-point play made it 6-11. After Toto Forray’s three kept Trento firing, Dekker and Tomic narrowed the gap. Forray scored again and Ellis netted three times in 3 minutes, but Robertson’s driving bucket made it 18-24 after ten minutes.

Pustovyi and Niang traded inside blows and Lamb’s triple made it a double-digit game, 20-31. Cale added another three-pointer before Dotson’s layup snapped a 0-10 run. Jordan Bayehe’s 4 points were followed by a jumper from Ellis as Trento stayed comfortable, 28-40. Pau Ribas finally hit Joventut’s first triple, Dekker added a reverse slam and Dotson struck from deep to make it 36-42. Forray responded with a triple and Mawugbe dunked hard, before Robertson followed a three with a putback to make it 44-52 at the break.

Lamb hit a pair of jumpers to keep Trento pushing early in the third, as Dekker responded with two scores for Joventut. Mawugbe’s alley-oop pushed the lead to 49-60, but Tomic’s hook shot and Adam Hanga’s three-pointer narrowed the gap. Cale answered with his third triple and Ellis added a dunk, taking the lead back to double digits at 56-67. Dekker’s layup was bettered by Lamb’s three, and 5 points from Ford stretched the lead to 61-76 with 10 minutes left.

Dotson’s fastbreak slam was met by another Cale triple to start the final period. Tomic’s layup and Dekker’s deep strike kept Joventut hoping, 68-81. Close-range buckets for Niang and Mawugbe extended the gap, before Tomic and Robertson pulled it back to 73-85 midway through the fourth. Cale’s free throws and Ford’s floater settled Trento, and Yannick Kraag’s triple was nowhere near enough as Ford scored three more baskets to seal a big road win.

The Italian team is mounting a late charge for postseason action

Veolia Towers Hamburg committed 26 turnovers and was able to rally from 17 points down and beat over 7Bet-Lietkabelis Paneveyzs 84-77 in Round 16 of the BKT EuroCup thanks to great three-point shooting

Hamburg survived turnovers thanks to three-point accuracy 

It doesn’t happen often that a team commits 26 turnovers and is able to rally from 17 points down and get a victory. But that is exactly what [Veolia Towers Hamburg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/veolia-hamburg-towers/roster/ham/?season=2024-25) did with their comeback victory over [7Bet-Lietkabelis Paneveyzs](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/lietkabelis-panevezys/roster/lkb/?season=2024-25).

Hamburg was down 44-61 in the third quarter but managed to turn the game around and pull out [an 84-77](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/hamburg-splits-season-series-with-lietkabelis-with-84-77-triumph/) win over Lietkabelis to end a three-game losing streak and improve to 4-12 on the season.

“We could feel ourselves getting stops. We weren’t executing on offense. We had too many turnovers. But we were getting stops. And if you get stops it will always come back to you,” said Hamburg guard [Johnathan Stove](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/johnathan-stove/013503/), who collected 22 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in the win. “It feels good. We needed this one - for confidence and team morale. It was just a good win for us.”

Hamburg was uncharacteristically on target from long range, making 10 of 21 three-pointers at 47.6% shooting from long range. Entering the game, the German side had connected on only 29.3% of its three-point attempts, ranking last in the EuroCup. But Lietkabelis’s defense ranked 16th in opposing team’s three-point shooting at 35.7%.

Hamburg coach Benka Barloschky was satisfied with how his team performed.

“Very proud. Like the whole season, this team has a lot of character. The culture is right. They want to win. We turned the ball over too much. We made life too tough for ourselves. But the way we defended, the way we fought - through all the adversities in this game - it's a testimony to the character of this group,” said the Hamburg coach.

Hamburg usually struggles at containing opposing teams’ long-range shooting, ranking 19th on the season at 38.1%. But Barloschky’s men allowed just 3-of-21 three-point shooting (14.3%) on this night.

The German team’s defense just stood strong - unlike all season. It allowed only 77 points and gave up a team performance index rating of 89. Hamburg’s defense ranked last in those two categories entering the contest with 107.4 PIR and 89.3 points per game allowed.

The German side committed 26 turnovers, but still managed to beat Lietkabelis

Veolia Towers Hamburg split the season series against 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys with a come-from-behind 84-77 victory in Germany in Round 16 of the BKT EuroCup

Hamburg splits season series with Lietkabelis with 84-77 triumph 

Veolia Towers Hamburg split the season series against 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys with a come-from-behind 84-77 victory in Germany in a matchup of teams that had already been eliminated from playoff contention. Hamburg, which had lost 91-68 in Lithuania in Round 7, rallied from 17 points down (44-61) to improve to 4-12. The hosts snapped a three-game losing streak.

Johnathan Stove scored 22 points, Kur Kuath collected 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals and Jordan Barnett also had 14 points. Lietkabelis has now lost four in a row to fall to 4-12. Dorde Gagic netted a career-high 27 points and 6 rebounds and Oleksandr Kovliar added 16 points and 9 assists in the loss.

Gagic started strong for the visitors with two scores in a 2-9 early lead. Gagic added 4 free throws as Lietkabelis went up 8-17. Hamburg knocked down 3 straight triples to get within 19-21. The Lithuanians answered, however, with their first 2 three-pointers and led 19-29 after 10 minutes.

Hamburg had the better start to the second quarter with a 7-2 spurt to make it 26-31 with 4 points from Kuath. The inside battle with Gagic continued as the Lietkabelis big man added 4 more points. A Barnett triple finished an 8-0 surge for Hamburg’s first lead, which was the first of four straight lead changes. Then Kovliar scored 7 points in a 0-10 run over nearly 3 minutes for a 38-47 lead. Stove’s buzzer-beater at the end of the first half made it 42-47.

Gagic did not slow down in the second half with 8 points and Kovliar added a three-pointer in a 2-14 start to the third quarter to lead 44-61. Lietkabelis’s offense went cold for 4 minutes and Stove and Ivey made triples to trim the deficit to 52-61. And another Stove buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter had Hamburg down just 55-63.

Stove added a three-point play to start the final frame and Jared Grey free throws made it 62-65. Hamburg would not give up and knotted the game at 68-68 midway through the fourth quarter. An Ivey putback put Hamburg ahead 72-71 and the Hamburg guard added free throws to lead 74-71. Lietkabelis reclaimed the lead, but Hamburg punched back with a 10-0 run with Barnett hitting the dagger three-pointer to make it 84-75 with 50 seconds left.

The German side snapped a three-game losing skid 

Dennis D.J. Seeley poured a career-high 31 points and broke two other personal records too in U-BT Cluj-Napoca's 94-81 home win over Turk Telekom Ankara in the BTK EuroCup 

Evergreen D.J. Seeley shined for Cluj with several career-highs

[U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/roster/clu/?season=2024-25) celebrated a lifeline win in the hunt to clinch a BTK EuroCup playoff berth with [a 94-81 home win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/dj-seeley-helps-cluj-brushes-aside-turk-telekom-94-81/) over [Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/turk-telekom-ankara/roster/ttk/?season=2024-25), courtesy of a majestic individual performance from [D.J. Seeley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/dennis-seeley/004862/) who poured a career-high 31 points and broke two other personal records too.   

Seeley, who entered the game averaging 9.7 points per game this season, also set a new personal best of 8 three-pointers as well as a PIR of 33, firing Cluj to a 9-7 record in Group B with two games remaining in the regular season.

Next up for Cluj are outings to 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and Aris Midea Thessaloniki, with both of the Romanian champs' opponents confined to playing for pride only as neither team has any chance of making the postseason. 

D.J. Seeley made 8 threes against Turk Telekom!

Cluj coach head Mihai Silvasan issued a stern warning to his troops to forget about any complacency after a stellar performance against Turk Telekom, with [Zavier Simpson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/zavier-simpson/013302/) also delivering the goods as he racked up 21 points and 10 assists.

“It’s another win in the fight to qualify for the playoffs in a better spot,” Sivasan said in his postgame comments. “We did our job and won a home game, now we have to move forward and stay focused. We have two more games, both on the road against teams who are no longer in qualification contention, but they are still tough games and hence there won’t be too many celebrations after tonight’s win.”

Seeley echoed Silvasan’s views, having issued a rallying cry for consistency to his teammates. “It was a great game and (Turk Telekom) is a good team,” he said. “They came here and fought like we knew they would, but we battled and showed how tough we are. We need to play every game like this.”  

Turk Telekom head coach Erdem Can conceded that Cluj had outshot his men from all over, as the Romanian outfit sank 11 of 19 from downtown while the visitors made 8 of 29. Cluj also had more assists (23-18) and field goals from inside (23-22), thriving on vocal home crowd support in a packed gym.

“We weren’t up to standards defensively, which allowed them to score a lot of easy buckets from one-on-one situations,” said Can. “Offensively, we didn’t share the ball the right way, especially at the beginning of the second half and that was a major problem.”

Turk Telekom, which is also on a 9-7 record and still well-placed to reach the playoffs, is at home to Umana Reyer Venice in Round 17, with the matchup likely to be a dogfight for a postseason berth. The Turkish team closes out its regular season campaign against Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem in Round 18.

The 35-year-old enjoyed a near-flawless performance in propelling his team to victory over Turk Telekom 

U-BT Cluj-Napoca improved to 9-7 in Group B of the BKT EuroCup and stayed on course to reach the playoffs with two games remaining in the regular season after an impressive 94-81 home win over Turk Telekom Ankara, which dropped to 9-7

D.J. Seeley helps Cluj brushes aside Turk Telekom 94-81

U-BT Cluj-Napoca improved to 9-7 in Group B of the BKT EuroCup and stayed on course to reach the playoffs with two games remaining in the regular season after an impressive 94-81 home win over Turk Telekom Ankara, which dropped to 9-7.

D.J. Seeley paced Cluj with a magnificent solo effort of 31 points, shooting 8 of 9 from downtown and 3 of 5 from inside, having poured 25 points in the first half when he turned the game into a one-man show.

Zavier Simpson also shined with a double-double of 21 points and 10 assists, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter when Cluj fended off Turk Telekom’s attempted comeback. De’Shawn Stephens and Adam Mokoka added 10 points each for Cluj, which got sweet revenge for a 99-80 loss to Turk Telekom in the reverse fixture in November.

At the other end, Anthony Brown paced Turk Telekom with 20 points but his effort was a far cry from the game in Turkiye when he shattered several personal records in the win over Cluj, sinking a career-high 39 points. Yoan Makoundou added 13 points for the visiting team, Kyle Alexander racked up 12 points and 7 boards while Olivier Hanlan and Brian Angola chipped in with 11 points each.

The game got off to a fast and furious start and Turk Telekom enjoyed a brighter first quarter, having carved out a 22-26 lead in the opening 10 minutes although it soon became apparent that Seeley would have a field day, as he netted 10 points. The swingman, who had averaged 9.7 points this season, lit up the contest and galvanized the home fans in the second as he netted another 15 points, with Cluj turning the tide for good after it  took a 49-46 lead into the locker room at the interval. 

Both teams ramped up on defense in the early stages of the second half before Cluj closed out the third quarter with a 14-4 run that gave the home team a 73-58 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of a rip-roaring contest played in an electrifying atmosphere.

Turk Telekom fought hard to stay in touch but with Seeley playing smart basketball after a rampant first half, Simpson stepped up to the plate down the stretch as the home side sent a jam-packed home crowd into raptures on the final buzzer.     

The Romanian champs produced a flawless performance to avenge defeat to its Turkish rival in the reverse fixture 

Fresh off of becoming the EuroCup's all-time leader in games played, Aquila Basket Trento legend Toto Forray spoke with Eurohoops' Cesare Milanti.

Toto Forray wrote EuroCup history at Trento, his beloved home for 14 years

Who can take pride in being the living legend of a European basketball team nowadays? The answer is unclear, but approximately very few people. [Andrés Pablo "Toto" Forray](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/toto-forray/006382/) probably didn't think about becoming just that back in 2003.

Leaving Argentina and Buenos Aires for Italy at not even 18 years of age meant betting on his own talent and ambitions – and ultimately it paid off. From his first arrival in Messina up until 2011, he was shaping the course of his career in the lower divisions of Italian basketball.

Having started out at Messina, he moved up to the Veneto region and ending up playing at Padova and Jesolo. Forli came up next, where he stayed for three years and began to feel at home.

[Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dolomiti-energia-trento/trn/) came with an unexpected approach, taking him on a loan deal that later became a regular transfer. What is clear is that 2011 move was a crucial cornerstone in the career of Toto Forray. From that season to today, there's not a single basketball fan who doesn’t associate Forray with Trento, and vice versa.

"I knew Trento was a club with clear ideas. So when they offered me to come here, I accepted immediately because I didn’t want to stay still too long," he first opens to Eurohoops' Cesare Milanti.

"After, I found myself in a team that I already knew because I had played against it, but which had exceeded all my expectations and had a long-term project that we were able to consolidate each and every year, with me as an important part of this project. I never had the idea of leaving.”

Why focus on a soon-to-be 39-year-old who's only averaging 5.1 points per game in the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season? Well, because last week Toto Forray wrote history in the competition.

Read more [HERE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/eurocup/1772529/toto-forray-aquila-basket-trento-bkt-eurocup-most-games-played-record-2024-2025-interview/).

The veteran guard recently became the player with most EuroCup appearances all-time