CLUJ NAPOCA (Romania) - Almost ten thousand people were in the stands of the BTarena in Cluj Napoca, and they were in for a treat throughout the 40 minutes of basketball. U-BT Cluj Napoca edged out MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg 76-73 to take a 1-0 series lead in the Quarter-Finals of the Basketball Champions League.

Having 9887 fans behind them sets a new record attendance for the Romanian champions. The club will either be on the way to the Final Four next week, or planning a new record for Game 3 of this best-of-three battle.

Turning point: Mihai Silvasan's men struggled against John Patrick's pressure defense, and it seemed to be going Ludwigsburg's way as the German side held Cluj to just 6-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc through the first three quarters.

However, Brandon Brown and Patrick Richard found their range in the fourth quarter. Cluj knocked down five straight three-pointers to take the lead and hold it until the final seconds.

Ludwigsburg got one last chance to force overtime. Justin Simon forced a turnover, Jonah Radebaugh got a good look at a three from the left 45, but it bounced out as time expired.

Game hero: Brandon Brown was brought to Romania because of his experience in close game situations. The deal was worth every penny, Brown has stepped up once again when it mattered most.

The point guard finished with 12 points and 7 assists, staying under control in 33 minutes under pressure from Ludwigsburg guards.

Honorable mention: Patrick Richard with 14 points, Stefan Bircevic with 13, Karel Guzman with 12 and Elijah Stewart with 11, including one of the biggest dunks of the season - on another Brown assist.

"Man, he's one of the most sneaky-athletic people you'll see. You think he's not gonna jump, and BOOM! You look up and his shoes are at your head. That's probably one of the best plays that's happened all season, you gotta watch out for that guy, because he's gonna dunk on you just like that. That's just something he can do, so it's not a surprise, but today was something special," Dustin Hogue commented on Stewart's flight.

Stats don't lie: Sometimes there's no need to overthink the stats. It comes down to putting the ball through the hoop, and Ludwigsburg failed to do so, shooting just 26-of-71 from the field.

Bottom line: How close is the Basketball Champions League? Well, MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg have been one of the most impressive teams of the season, sweeping the likes of Lenovo Tenerife, JDA Dijon and Galatasaray Nef on their way to the Quarter-Finals.

But now, they find themselves on the ropes. They will host U-BT Cluj Napoca next Wednesday, in a do-or-die game which could end their BCL campaign.

Radebaugh and Simon combined for 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, but they will need more help if they want to tie the QF at 1-1 and book another trip to Romania.

They said:

"Really tough game. Everybody was competing. We had our chances, we had good phases but we couldn't close it out." - Jacob Patrick, MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg

"We had the game under control at the end, but congratulations to Mihai (Silvasan) and the Cluj team. They hit some big shots, Bircevic hit two big shots, Brown hit a big shot, yeah, they were better at the end of the game. We missed some free throws, easy layups... Great atmosphere here, great crowd in Cluj Napoca, we're looking forward to going back to Ludwigsburg and hopefully getting back some of our guys healthy and have a shot to even the series." - MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg head coach John Patrick

"Coach said at the beginning of the game that the winner of this game is going to come down to heart. This team is a great energetic team, they play good defense, they crash the glass like no team I've ever seen before, so we just had to be able to match their energy, take care of the ball, try not to turn it over. This was an exciting game for all of us, it came down to the wire. Our team had enough heart to put together some stops and some rebounds in order to close out the win. Much respect to the team, to Ludwigsburg for their style of play. (The gym) was probably the craziest I've ever seen in my entire life. So happy to see the fans come out today and show support, every time we were down they got us back in the game. It was hard to even hear myself think." - Dustin Hogue, U-BT Cluj Napoca

"It was an unbelievable game from our side. Unbelievable crowd. This is a historical moment for our country, for our basketball, for our players, the first time a club from Romania played in front of ten thousand people in the stands. I really believe they gave us energy at the end of the game, when we needed it most, when we were down by three, four, five points." - U-BT Cluj Napoca head coach Mihai Silvasan