Today we’re talking about a sport we love: basketball, and about how the team we’ve supported since 2016 — U-Banca Transilvania — won the Romanian Cup. It’s the third year in a row the team has lifted the Romanian Cup. This time the final was against CSM CSU Oradea, and the game was played on February 13, 2018, in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Here’s how U-Banca Transilvania head coach Mihai Silvasan saw the final: “It’s hard to talk after such a tense game! Either team could have won; it was a fiercely contested game, both teams wanted the win badly — you could see it. It all came down to defense, to one stop or another. The score was low, and for long stretches in the fourth quarter nobody managed to score. In games like this, the team that stays mentally tougher and more composed comes out on top. We obviously had our moment with Lasan’s basket at the last second of the shot clock — a very important bucket — and they had a shot too, which they missed... That’s sport, and I’m glad we were the ones who came out winners!”

Player Kuti Nandor also shared a few thoughts: “It was a tough game, like any final! We started very well, we were strong mentally and built a 10-15 point lead, then we eased off a bit, but what matters is that in the fourth quarter we regrouped and won the game. For me it was a special feeling to play at home; I hadn’t played here for seven or eight years, and now I came back in the colors of ‘U’. I’m very happy we managed to win at home — I think this will be one of the best games of my life, getting to play a final at home!”

In recognition of his performance during the game, Ousamane Barro, one of U-Banca Transilvania’s players, was named “BT Player of the Game”. He received this award from Zare Markovski, Romania’s head coach.

We’re glad to stand alongside Clubul Sportiv U-BT Cluj-Napoca and to be the number-one supporter of Romanian basketball.