U-BT Cluj-Napoca fell short of a historic berth in the European Men’s Basketball Cup semifinals, with the Romanian champions losing 91-79 (51-37) at home to the London Lions on Wednesday.

Players of the U-BT Cluj-Napoca basketball teamPhoto: Flaviu Buboi/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Editorial/Profimedia

U-BT Cluj-Napoca lost to London Lions in the quarterfinals of the European Cup

In front of 10,000 spectators, the home team’s best scorers were Jones (23 points), Mageris and Seeley (both 15 points). Among the guests, Dekker (21 points) and Nwaba (13 points) excelled.

U-BT Cluj was carried from one end to the other, after a game, in places unrecognizable compared to the level shown this season.

Jordan Taylor, a former U-BT Cluj player, was booed at the presentation of the British team, after he allegedly claimed in a podcast that he arrived at the Romanian champions, where he did not adapt and moved to the London Lions because he was “probably , drunk”, and fans have not forgotten this episode, reports News.ro.

Eurocup, quarter-finals

Paris Basketball (1) – Hoventut Badalona (5) / Thursday, 21:45.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2) vs London Lions (3) 79-91

Zh.L.-Bur (1) against Prometheus Slobozhanske (4) 95-82

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2) vs Besiktas (6) 89-94.

The semifinals and finals will be played on a best-of-three basis with home field advantage for the team with the highest ranking in the regular season.

Know:

  • Full results in group B U-BT Cluj-Napoca: 80-71 and 84-95 with Turk Telekom, 70-67 and 80-76 with Slask Wroclaw, 88-92 and 89-98 with JL Bourg, 89-74 and 79-77 with Buducnost Podgorica, 61-59 and 90- 74 from Aris Salonic, 86-75 and 85-81 from Ratiopharm Ulm, 98-60 and 88-83 from Energia Trento, 70-92 and 113-111 from Gran Canaria, 120-111 and 87-92 from Lietkabelis Panevezys.
  • Last season, U-BT Cluj made its debut in the Eurocup and finished in Group A in 9th place, missing the final eight. A year before, the champion of Romania played in the quarterfinals of the basketball Champions League, thanks to which she got into the Eurocup, the second continental tournament after the Euroleague.
  • Only two Romanian teams have participated in the Eurocup: CSU Asesoft Ploieşti (in the seasons 2007-2008, 2013-2015), respectively, Steaua Bucharest (2015-2016), but U BT Cluj is the first in Romania to pass the group stage, qualification in quarters, writes News.ro.
  • In 2023, Gran Canaria won the Eurocup trophy.