CSM Oradea beat AEK Larnaca 95:87 in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, putting a decisive result on the board with a performance built around the perimeter. The hosts shot 21 three-pointers from 42 attempts while the visitors could only find 9 from 23, and that outside shooting told the story of the night.
The game opened as a contest of rhythm, but Oradea found their range quickly and refused to go away from the arc. By then AEK Larnaca had nothing to do all evening in terms of stopping the ball movement, though they did manage 13 assists compared to the hosts' 24. The visitors' 9 steals suggested they were trying to disrupt, but it was too little too late.
And here's the thing about the numbers — Oradea's 33 field goals from 68 attempts versus Larnaca's 29 from 66 looks closer than the scoreline, but the three-point differential did the damage. The hosts' 8 successful free throws from 17 attempts versus the visitors' 20 from 24 also tells a certain story about discipline. Oradea pulled 37 rebounds to Larnaca's 31, with 12 on the offensive end for both sides.
The result shifts the momentum for Oradea after a difficult run against U-BT Cluj-Napoca, where they lost three of their last four meetings. Larnaca's recent form has been inconsistent against Keravnos, with two losses in their last five outings, and this result adds to that pattern of inconsistency.
To be fair, the game was decided in the shooting gallery rather than in the paint. Oradea had the higher shooting percentage from distance and converted when it mattered, while Larnaca relied on their free-throw advantage to stay within striking range. The final margin of eight points reflects a game where one side pulled away and held on.
