Article by David Istrate – Published on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 23:06 / Updated on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 23:16
For the second year in a row, CSM Oradea hosted the Final 8 of the Romanian Cup and this time managed to qualify for the decisive act, although it had emotions with CSO Voluntari and CSM Târgu Mureș.
Cristian Achim, after the final of the Romanian Cup: “I would honestly have liked Kris Richard to take on more”
But in the final, with a Jaizec Lottie on a day of grace, Bihoren gave a solid response to their great rivals and were close to producing the surprise against U-BT Cluj-Napoca. The difference was made in offensive rebounds, where the “students” had 12 more: 19-7.
“Congratulations to Cluj. I'm proud of my team, we fought evenly with them. The whole match we were practically equal. I can't pass over a statistical fact which, I say, was decisive in the course of the match and where Cluj dominated us terribly. It's about offensive rebounds. Sure, you know their qualities, but we could have done more“, said Cristian Achim, the coach of CSM Oradea, according to baschet.ro.
“Other than that, I'm happy with how we fought. I pitched well. I honestly wish Kris Richard would have taken on more because he should have stepped up in times like this. It wasn't to be, but once again I congratulate all our players,” he added, highlighting the below-expected performance of Kris Richard, who tallied 7 points, 5 assists and two rebounds.
Cristian Achim, praises to the audience from Oradea: “A beauty”
However, the leader of Oradea was replaced by Lottie, who collected 25 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
“As you know, the final is played with two Romanian players and this matter matters a lot. It matters a lot. We also missed a few completely open shots, but in the end the match was played on offensive rebounds and I'm sorry for this aspect, something about which I spoke aggressively at the big break. We didn't manage to stop them, these are the qualities of every team”, continued Achim, who refused to talk about the refereeing, although the Bihoren fans shouted “thieves, thieves” several times and booed the referees.
“I don't want to comment on arbitration or anything. Here things are fluid. All contacts can be interpreted. I don't want to comment on the refereeing. I didn't feel like they tried to tip the balance in either direction. I say with my hand on my heart, well done to them too. That mistakes have also been made, everyone makes mistakes.”
At the end, Cristian Achim praised the Oradean public, who supported them throughout the match and highlighted again the effort made by his students.
“Once again, congratulations to the boys, they fought admirably. Many congratulations to the crowd, which was absolutely exceptional. A beauty. It's wonderful to play in such conditions, in such a hall, with such people by your side. Absolutely everyone, even after the defeat, they were extremely positive and encouraged us all and I want to thank them in this way because they showed that they are true fans who love their team no matter what moment”, concluded the technician who was on the Leilor-Roșii bench in the last season.
