Video: Moldoveanu saves the day for Cluj-Napoca
CLUJ-NAPOCA (FIBA Europe Cup) - A great third quarter and an equally impressive fourth-quarter collapse saw FIBA Europe Cup Group G leaders U-BT Cluj-Napoca just barely avoid a spectacular cave-in after wasting a 17-point lead in the final period of play against Petrolina AEK.
After outscoring their opponents 24-9 in the third period, the Romanian side came into the final frame up 55-38, but a ferocious Tomislav Petrovic-led comeback allowed the visitors from Cyprus to get within a single point of the home side in the last minute of the game.
AEK even had a chance to force overtime in the last possession, but the 37-year-old Slovenian big man Primoz Brezec had a seemingly open shot under the basket swatted from behind by Vlad Moldoveanu, who secured a 65-63 win for the hosts.
"We complicated our life in the end. It is the third consecutive game when we do that and we have to learn from this. If we don’t, it might cost us important games in the future," said Filip Adamovic who was the top scorer for Cluj-Napoca with 14 points and 6 assists.
In spite of the drama involved, the Romanian side is still undefeated in the FIBA Europe Cup and leads Group G with a 3-0 record. Meanwhile, things are a lot less rosy for AEK, who have lost all three games so far.
AEK Larnaca managed to make it interesting down the stretch. #FIBAEuropeCup
— FIBA Europe Cup (@FIBAEuropeCup) November 2, 2016
Group G: @ubtcluj 65-63 @AEK_LARNAKA
📊 https://t.co/CDvlO50vyy pic.twitter.com/7ue289NGdb
"The third quarter was the decisive one. We lost it by 15 points, but we still had the chance to push the game into overtime in the last seconds. Nothing is finished in this group yet, we have three more games to fight for a place in the Second Round," said Croatian forward Tomislav Petrovic after scoring 18 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in the defeat.
Interestingly enough, Cluj-Napoca and AEK already met earlier in the season when their paths crossed in the Basketball Champions League Qualifiers, with the Romanian side winning the tie, but being knocked out as well at a later stage of the competition.
After three close losses in the first half of the Regular Season, AEK Larnaca will try resurrect their qualification hopes in Gaziantep on Tuesday, while Cluj-Napoca travel to Kosovo where they will face KB Peja on Wednesday in a still closely-contested Group G.
FIBA
