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.”

Game Videos

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.

Game News

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 

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

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

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse took care of business in Round 15 of the BKT EuroCup and cruised past Aris Midea Thessaloniki to keep pace with the other teams in the playoff battle while exacting a bit of revenge

Bourg took care of business versus Aris - and avenged home loss

[Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/jl-bourg-en-bresse/roster/bou/?season=2024-25) took care of business in Round 15 of the BKT EuroCup and cruised past [Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/aris-thessaloniki/roster/ari/?season=2024-25) to keep pace with the other teams in the playoff battle while exacting a bit of revenge.

Bourg had three players score in double figures and seven more had at least 6 points in [the 51-92 victory in Greece](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bourg-blows-by-aris-51-92-to-stay-in-playoff-zone/). The French side lost [88-91 at home](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/aris-stuns-bourg-88-91-on-the-road/) to Aris in Round 6.

“It was important for us to win here tonight for the future of the competition because the standings are very tight. And the first game against Aris was a loss for us. So it was revenge for us,” said Bourg head coach [Frederic Fauthoux](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/cosea-jl-bourg-en-bresse/bou/fauthoux-frederic/?season=U2024). “We are very happy. We did a very good job in the first half.”

The 2024 EuroCup runner-up put together a strong first 20 minutes and led 26-46 and never looked back for two straight wins. That gave Fauthoux’s team an 8-7 record as it tries to move up the Group B standings while also holding off [U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/roster/clu/?season=2024-25).

“It was a good game. We fought hard and that was what we came here to do,” said [Xavier Castaneda](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/xavier-castaneda/013266/), who scored 14 points in just 15 minutes of action. “We knew they were a tough team. They like to foul a lot. They fight hard so we had to fight hard as well. And we came out with a victory and that’s all that matters.”

Bourg showed why it is a strong offensive rebounding team with 17 boards off its own misses to lead to 17 second-chance points. Bourg had averaged 12.4 offensive rebounds - ranked fourth in the EuroCup.

The French side’s defense did more than enough, especially hassling Aris’s ball-handlers. The home team committed 21 turnovers against the team that forces the most miscues in the EuroCup - averaging 17.1 turnovers a game with a league-high 9.4 steals. That defense led to 23 points off turnovers, including 18 fastbreak points.

Bourg lays the foundation in the first half for a comfortable win 

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (2025-01-15T18:00:00.000Z)

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse avoided a slip-up in the fight for the playoffs with a dominant 51-92 victory at Aris Midea Thessaloniki in Round 15 of the BKT EuroCup

Bourg blows by Aris 51-92 to stay in playoff zone 

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse avoided a slip-up in the fight for the playoffs with a dominant 51-92 victory at Aris Midea Thessaloniki. Bourg gave up only 26 points in the first half to improve to 8-7, giving it two straight wins after a three-game losing skid.

Brandon Paul poured in 19 points and Xavier Castaneda had 14 points to pace Bourg. Aris was eliminated from playoff contention as it fell to 3-12 on the season and 1-6 at home. D’Moi Hodge had 11 points as Aris’s leading scorer.

Bourg got into the bonus early on and made 8 free throws in the first 4 minutes for a 7-10 lead. Castaneda buried a three-pointer for 9 points and a 7-13 advantage. The cushion grew to 9-17 and Paul’s triple had Bourg up 12-23 after 10 minutes. 

Bourg continued to roll in the second quarter with the first 7 points for a 12-30 margin as Aris needed nearly 3 minutes to get on the scoreboard. Aris could not come up with stops and Brandon Jefferson and Castaneda drilled triples as Bourg doubled up Aris 23-46. The score was 26-46 at the break.

Aris was able to score a bit more consistently in the early stages of the second half and was down 32-49. But Bourg scored the next 9 points and increased the lead to 32-58. The advantage grew to 27 points three times and it was 40-67 after three periods.

Hodge opened the final frame with a three-point play but Bourg ended any doubts with the next 15 points en route to a comfortable win.

The French side had little trouble on the road to eliminate Aris 

Bahcesehir College Istanbul came back from an 18-point deficit to beat Trefl Sopot 76-81 on Wednesday night. This win improved Bahcesehir to a 13-3 record, clinching the first place in Group A with three games to go, while already-eliminated Trefl dropped 1-14 on the season.

Bahcesehir rallies against Trefl to win Group A

Bahcesehir College Istanbul came back from an 18-point deficit to beat Trefl Sopot 76-81 on Wednesday night. This win improved Bahcesehir's record to a 13-3 and clinched first place in Group A with three games to go, while already-eliminated Trefl dropped 1-14 on the season.

Trefl made 7 of its first 11 three-point attempts to open a 43-25 lead, but Bahcesehir halved the deficit before halftime and then erased the rest in the third quarter, before pulling out the win in the final minutes. 

Jaleen Smith paced the winners with 25 points and 9 rebounds, Tai Odiase scored 20 points and Tyler Cavanaugh added 12 in the victory. Nick Johnson netted 18 points for the hosts, Aaron Best had 13 , Geoffrey Groselle 12 and Mikolaj Witlinski 11 in a losing effort.

Smith and Best opened the game trading triples, but then Nahiem Alleyne and Johnson hit back-to-back long-range shots for the hosts to open an 11-7 lead. Kenan Sipahi had a jumper and Odiase a put-back layup to keep the visitors close, but Alleyne knocked down another three. Then Johnson scored 4 more points as Trefl scored the last 9 points of the first quarter to take a 24-13 lead.

Groselle and Johnson made it 28-13 in the second before Cavanaugh snapped a 13-0 run, ending Bahcesehir’s scoring drought of almost 6 minutes. Smith’s driving layup cut it to 30-19, but Johnson and Jakub Schenk made a triple apiece, with Best hitting a short jumper in between to make it 38-21. A three-pointer from Jaroslaw Zyskowski, Trefl’s seventh of the night, increased the margin to 18 points. But Axel Bouteille drained a three and Odiase had a three-point play to spark a 0-7 run that Bahcesehir used to finish the first half and cut the deficit to 45-37.

Best opened the third quarter with a triple, but Sipahi and Smith scored the next 6 points to close the gap to 48-43 before back-to-back threes from Cavanaugh cut it to 50-49. Trefl struggled offensively, but Schenk scored inside to make it 54-49. However, Odiase’s three-point play tied it before a pair of baskets from Furkan Korkmaz gave the visitors a 54-58 lead. Schenk to finished the quarter by sinking 3 foul shots to make it a single-point affair going into the fourth quarter.

A triple from Best tied it at 60-60 and the teams traded blows with a Best-to-Johnson alley-oop dunk giving the hosts a 66-64 lead. But the visitors scored the next 8 points, with back-to-back triples from Sehmus Hazer and Smith giving Bahcesehir a 66-72 advantage. Johnson scored from the outside and Groselle twice from the inside to tie the game at 74-74 entering the final 2 minutes. Smith made a tough runner in a crowd in the final minute and Bouteille got a lucky bounce on a tough baseline jumper with 30 seconds left to make it 74-78. Groselle’s dunk gave the hosts hope, but Smith’s free throws sealed the outcome.

The Turkish side secured the top spot in the group

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica outscored Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 10-1 in the final minute to complete a comeback from a 13-point deficit to win 84-83 at Moraca

Buducnost rallies past Hapoel, 84-83

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica outscored Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 10-1 in the final minute to complete a comeback from a 13-point deficit to win 84-83 at Moraca. The victory raised Buducnost’s record to 7-8 and put it in sixth place in Group A, while Hapoel fell to fourth place with a 9-6 record. Despite the loss, Hapoel clinched a ticket to the postseason.

Rasheed Sulaimon paced the winners with 19 points, Nikola Tanaskovic contributed 14 and McKinley Wright added 11 points and 6 assists. Alen Omic tallied 4 points and 9 rebounds and in doing so moved past Jamar Smith (1,396) and into fourth place on the EuroCup’s all-time scoring charts with 1,399 points.

Bruno Caboclo paced the Hapoel attack with 16 points, Tomer Ginat tallied 15 points and 7 rebounds, Johnathan Motley also scored 15 and Yam Madar had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in defeat.

Hapoel started strong with a Madar jumper and a Ginat triple only to see Buducnost answer with a Sulaimon layup and a three by Wright. The visitors quickly regained the lead through Motley and Ish Wainright, whose second three of the game made it 9-13. Motley added to the lead with 5 straight points in the paint. Sulaimon scored twice in transition and Tanaskovic heated up with 5 points to trim the gap to 18-20. Dordije Jovanovic’s dunk briefly tied that game at 22-22, but Caboclo responded with a triple seconds later. Omic scored his historic basket and Joe Ragland’s layup made it 24-27 after 10 minutes.

Tanaskovic buried another three early in the second quarter and Fletcher Magee followed from deep to give Buducnost the lead. The Buducnost defense held Hapoel scoreless for more than three minutes and Omic’s tip-in made it 34-30. Caboclo ended the Hapoel drought and, after Tanaskovic free throws, Bar Timor made it a 1-point game with a triple. After a Buducnost timeout, threes by Jovanovic and Sulaimon made it 42-37. Marcus Foster and Oz Blayzer revived the visitors and Motley put Hapoel back on top with free throws. Tanaskovic scored on the offensive glass before Joe Ragland beat the halftime buzzer to give Hapoel a 49-50 advantage.

Caboclo and Wainright ignited a 0-11 run early in the second half. Ginat and Madar also contributed as Hapoel made it 51-61. Yogi Ferell tried to get Buducnost back on track and Juwan Morgan added free throws, but Madar and Ginat kept Hapoel on track. A floater by Ferrell drew Buducnost within 60-67 at the end of the third quarter.

Caboclo restored a double-digit lead to open the fourth quarter and restore a double-digit Hapoel lead. A minute later, Madar connected from deep to push the margin to 13. It took more than 3 minutes before Sulaimon scored Buducnost’s first points of the fourth quarter. A three by Morgan and floater by Wright gave Buducnost hope at 69-75 and prompted a Hapoel timeout. After sitting for the last quarter and a half, Motley returned to the game and sank a mid-range jumper. Ginat’s fourth three of the game made it 71-80. Sulaimon answered with a three, but he and Fletcher both missed on the ensuing possession as the clock started to play a factor. Madar added points from the line and Wainright denied Morgan at the rim, but Buducnost fought on. A three by Fletcher and basket by Wright made it 79-82 with 18.5 seconds left. After Madar split free throws, Sulaimon got Buducnost within 2. With 11.5 seconds to play, Wainright missed 2 free throws and Patrick Beverley then fouled Fletcher, who was shooting a three, with 4.4 seconds left. Fletcher made all 3 free throws and Marcus Foster missed for Hapoel at the buzzer.

Despite the loss, Hapoel clinched a postseason berth