The Cluj guard could not be stopped in Round 8
Zavier Simpson, Lietkabelis set records in huge game
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U-BT Cluj-Napoca grabbed its fourth win in five games by downing 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 100-93 at home, with Zavier Simpson enjoying a night to remember. The guests battled until the very end, however, rallying from a 27-point third-quarter deficit.
In fact, Lietkabelis set a new record for most points in any quarter in EuroCup history, 42. Oleksandr Kovliar was the catalyst of this record, scoring all of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Mantas Rubstavicius also had 11 points in the fourth quarter and Georgios Kalaitzakis added 9 in the final 3 minutes. Lietkabelis trailed 76-51 at the end of the third quarter.
Unicaja Malaga and Cosea JL Bourg en Bresse shared the previous record with 41 points apiece. Lietkabelis head coach Nenad Canak could not see his team's record in the sidelines, as he was ejected late in the third quarter.
"I mean, this is basketball," Cluj head coach Mihai Silvasan said after the game. "We know that they never give up and they came back.
"We relaxed a little in the fourth quarter. We only allowed 42 points because of our mindset. We thought that the game is over 5-7 minutes before the end.
"So that almost cost us, but a win is a win. We are 4-4 and move forward. We took another win in the EuroCup. We are there in a playoff spot, so that's good for us."
Simpson was also wary of Lietkabelis's threat, but is happy that his team came out on top.
"We knew that going into halftime. They have some good players, some guys that can shoot. They executed well, so we knew they were going to come back," Simpson said. "And obviously, it came close to doing what we wanted. But at the same time, we are just grateful that we're able to get the dub."
As for Cluj, Simpson was once again at the center of it all.
Simpson several club records against Lietkabelis. He finished the game with 32 points, hitting 7-of-11 two-pointers, 2-of-4 three-pointers and 12-of-13 free throws. He is the first Cluj player to score 30 or more points in a BKT EuroCup game. He already had the club's previous scoring record with 28 points against Veolia Towers Hamburg earlier this season.
Simpson was also close to his team's PIR record, which belongs to Emanuel Cate with 38. In addition, he amassed a PIR of 34, a new personal best.
"I just came out just hot and my teammates trusted me. But most importantly, I'm just happy we got the dub before we go on this little break and hopefully, this dub can get us some momentum to keep rolling," Simpson added.