Marko Barac's team was lucky, as Nigel Sizer had two shots with 2.9 seconds left, with the score at 73:71, but he missed the first. He tried to do the same with the second, but the ball bounced off the rim and into the net.
The Serbian expert took a timeout, after which Tyler Cavanaugh converted both penalties for 75:72, and the guests failed to make a shot for overtime with 2.4 seconds left.
The team that eliminated Buducnost six days ago was evenly matched throughout the match, and in the last quarter took a 67:63 lead with a three-pointer by Deron Russell.
The Turkish representative responded with a 7:0 run, but Sizer turned it around to 71:70. Then Kavanaugh hit a three-pointer, which was the introduction to the penalty shootout.
Malachi Flynn was the most efficient player on the winning team with 16 points, Balša Koprivica scored 12, Trevion Williams 11 with 16 rebounds, and Cavanaugh 10.
Former Mariners player Russell was the most efficient of Mihai Silvasan's selection with 23 points, and only Sizer (12) had double-digit performance.
Iverson Molinar, who played a simultaneous match with Buducnost players in the round of 16, scored nine points with poor shooting: 2-8 for two and 1-3 for three.
Cluj has reached the quarterfinals of the Eurocup for the third time in a row, and Bahçeşehir will try to reach the final against the winner of the Beşiktaş – Trento match after last year's heartbreaking elimination.
The team, then led by Dejan Radonjić, won the first match against Gran Canaria, and then took a 68:66 lead in Las Palmas on a dunk by Marko Simonović with two seconds left. Caleb Homesley escaped to Jaelin Smith after a timeout, made a basket and a free throw for the win, and then Granka celebrated in a masterclass in Istanbul 76:72.
The second match of the quarter-finals will be played at 7:30 p.m. between Burg and Cedevita Olimpija, coached by Zvezdan Mitrović, and the matches scheduled for tomorrow are Besiktas Trento (18) and Hapoel Jerusalem – Turk Telekom (20). The match between the Israeli and Turkish teams will be played at the "Ranko Žeravica" Sports Hall in New Belgrade.
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