U-BT Cluj-Napoca, defeat in Italy, at the end of a match in which neither the attack nor the defense worked
Article by David Istrate – Published on Wednesday, 07 January 2026 22:55 / Updated on Wednesday, 07 January 2026 23:31
U-BT Cluj-Napoca was defeated by Umana Reyer Venetia 90-83, in a match of the 13th stage of the BKT EuroCup. The Black and Whites started strongly but then seemed to lack intensity and focus as the Italians, pushed from behind by a raucous crowd, dominated.
U-BT Cluj-Napoca was in excellent form after a series of 6 consecutive matches played at home, all won. However, an away failure followed, on the field of Umana Reyer Venetia, a contender for the top 4 in Group A of the EuroCup.
U-BT Cluj-Napoca, lacking intensity and concentration on the field of Venice
In the first two minutes of the game, the guests scored 7 points and it seemed that another offensive explosion would follow, as has happened all season. But the situation changed rapidly, Cluj being lacking in intensity and concentration.
The Italians defended excellently, stopped the U-BT attack and took advantage of the multiple weapons at their disposal. Daron Russell and Iverson Molinar couldn't find solutions to thwart Venice's defense and the hosts always led.
In the second half, the Romanian champion had ups and downs, but the main player of the match was Stefan Nikolic, who was unstoppable for the hosts. Trey Woodbury tried to keep his team in the game and in the end U-BT came close, but with no chance to change the fate of the game.
Umana Reyer Venecia prevailed 90-83 and reached the same record as U-BT Cluj-Napoca in the EuroCup: 7-6.
Leading the way for the win were Stefan Nikolic (23 points), RJ Cole (18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) and Chris Horton (11 points, 7 rebounds).
On the other side, Trey Woodbury (18 points, 4 rebounds), Mitch Creek (18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), Dusan Miletic (16 points, 9 rebounds) and Iverson Molinar (11 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds) stood out.
Mihai Silvășan: “I didn't have a champion mentality”
Certainly, our mindset should be different. I think we didn't start the match with the right mentality, we weren't ready to give everything we have to win this game. We had good moments in some parts, but we didn't have the mentality of champions. It's not about how good or bad you are on a night in terms of throws, it's about what you do in terms of effort. And we didn't put in maximum effort
– Mihai Silvasan
Final. Umana Reyer Venice – U-BT Cluj-Napoca 90-83
END OF THE MATCH. 90-83. Defeat in Italy for U-BT Cluj-Napoca.
Min. 40. 87-82. U-BT came close on two possessions, but ran out of time to come back.
Min. 40. 84-77. After the timeout, Creek makes a foul shot.
Min. 39. 84-74. U-BT got as close as 7 points, but Alessandro Lever responded with a crucial 3-pointer.
Min. 38. 80-69. 8-4 run for the guests and it's Spahija's turn to call for time out.
Min. 35. 76-61. The 15-point lead holds with 5 minutes to go.
Min. 33. 71-56. Two triples for Nikolic and Candi, and Silvășan asks for a time-out.
Min. 32. 65-52. 4 points quickly scored by Nikolic and Tessitori. U-BT seems to be deadlocked.
Start of the 4th quarter.
End of quarter 3. 61-52. The hosts dominated the end of the 3rd quarter, thanks to solid phases from Stefan Nikolic.
Min. 26. 52-44. Venice maintains a difference of 8 points. Complicated times for U-BT.
Min. 24. 48-40. The Italians respond with two free throws scored by Chris Horton and a basket from distance by RJ Cole.
Min. 22. 41-38. 4 points quickly scored by Russell and Creek.
Start of the 3rd quarter.
End of quarter 2. 41-34. RJ Cole closes out the first inning with a great inning.
Min. 19. 36-30. U-BT is playing better in defense and Miletic is doing well in attack and prompting Neven Spahija to ask for a rest.
Min. 16. 35-26. Many mistakes for the guests, who cannot find their rhythm in attack.
Min. 14. 31-26. 5 straight points scored by “Fatts” Russell.
Min. 13. 29-21. 8-2 run for Venice. Mihai Silvășan asked for a time-out and gave his students instructions for defense.
Min. 11. 21-19. Captain Patrick Richard, “angel and demon”: first, he lost his man in defense, after which he managed a “triple”.
Start of the 2nd quarter.
End of quarter 1. 19-16. Umana Reyer Venice, one possession advantage after the opening act.
Min. 9. 16-13. Partially 6-0 for the hosts, after some excellent actions by Amedeo Tessitori.
Min. 7. 10-13. Molinar scores from half-distance. The black and whites do not develop with the right intensity in this first quarter.
Min. 4. 6-9. Miletic ends a period with several wrong decisions taken by Cluj in the offensive.
Min. 1. 2-5. Guzman and Miletic scored the guests' first points.
Start of match. The holders of U-BT Cluj-Napoca are Daron Russell, Iverson Molinar, Karel Guzman, Mitch Creek and Dusan Miletic.
