The hosts drained 13 triples in a convincing 89-74 win.
Cluj leaned on the threeball against Buducnost to keep its momentum going
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If there was one aspect of U-BT Cluj-Napoca’s play that really came to the fore in its 89-74 triumph against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, it was its three-point shooting. Wednesday night’s hosts lit it up from deep at BT-Arena in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season, draining 13 triples, which is the joint second most in the club’s history.
Admittedly, Cluj is only in its second EuroCup season, but it is still impressive nonetheless. The Romanian side previously saw 13 three-pointers fall in an 87-83 win against Frutti Extra Bursaspor in Round 15 of the 2022-23 EuroCup campaign, while its best-ever mark of 16 made three-pointers came in a 98-82 triumph at home to Joventut Badalona in Round 7 last season.
The player who led the way from three-point range for Cluj against Buducnost was Patrick Richard, who drained 4 of his 7 shots from distance. Jarell Eddie made 3-of-11, D.J. Seeley and Adam Mokoka went an efficient 2-for-2, while Bryce Jones shot 1-of-3 and Mareks Mejeris went 1-for-2.
Ball movement was the key
For Richard, Wednesday night’s player of the game, he believes that Cluj’s ball movement is what led to better looks and ultimately a better night from three-point territory.
“We shared the ball better – we drove and kicked to open guys,” Richard stated in his post-game flash interview. “When you get those shots, it gives guys confidence. Even if you miss them, it gives you confidence.
“We did a better job of that. We’re still a work in progress, but this a big win in front of all these great fans inside BT-Arena.”
While he didn’t explicitly touch on Cluj’s success from deep, head coach Mihai Silvasan was also impressed by the way in which his players continue to find each other out on the floor.
“I believe we played very good basketball, especially in the second half. Our second half was very good, also from the defensive point of view,” he commented afterward. “We didn’t allow too many points and offensively, we shared the ball very well – we had 27 assists. We created a lot of good opportunities to score, inside and outside.
“I think that’s really one of our best games this season, probably the best, and we need to move forward to build on this. Our goal is to win as many games as possible, so we can’t stop and celebrate after one victory.”
Responding in the best way possible
Coach Silvasan may have a point about not celebrating this win too much, but Cluj is now 3-1 and 2-0 on its home floor, so there is reason for the fans to be excited at least. A 4-point defeat in Round 3 on the road at Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse came as a blow, but responding with a 15-point win over Buducnost was the ideal way to respond.
Next up for Cluj is a trip to face Aris Midea Thessaloniki on the road in Round 5. Should the team grab its fourth win of the season in Greece, the rest of the EuroCup clubs should start to take it seriously. Unfortunately for Buducnost, it had to learn the hard way on Wednesday night.