Trabzonspor wins at Buducnost to reach Last 32

Trabzonspor Medical Park held off a late Buducnost VOLI Podgorica rally to win 79-82 and secure a spot in the Last 32. Trabzonspor became the first team to win in the Montenegrin capital this season as it improved to 5-3 to join Aris Thessaloniki and Unics Kazan atop the Group E standings. Buducnost fell to 3-5. The visitors led throughout the second half, but missed a series of free throws that could have ended it in the final minute, which allowed Buducnost to rally from 71-79 to within 1. But Down 2 in the closing seconds, Omar Cook’s intentional miss was rebounded by Novica Velickovic to secure a Trabzonspor victory. Dwight Hardy paced the winners with 22 points and 5 assists, Velickovic posted 16 points and 11 rebounds, Tarence Kinsey added 15 and 8 and Andrija Stipanovic scored 15 too. Bojan Subotic scored 19 to lead Buducnost, Tadija Dragicevic scored 18, Omar Cook 16, Nemanja Jaramaz 11 and Sead Sehovic 10.

Subotic scored the game’s first two baskets before a Cook triple capped a 7-0 start. After a Velckovic triple, Sehovic’s steal and score made it an 8-point game, but back-to-back threes by Velickovic and Hakan Demirel closed the gap. Velickovic made it 14-13 after six minutes. Cook put the hosts up 5, but a pair of threes by Hardy put Trabzonspor ahead for the first time, 18-19. Hardy added another triple, but Dragicevic’s freee throws ended the quarter at 21-22. Damian Kulig and Kinsey boosted the Trabzonspor lead to 5 early in the second quarter, but Dragicevic scored twice in a 7-0 run that put the hosts back on top, 28-26. Kinsey and Hardy restored the visitors’ control and Darius Johnson-Odom extended the difference to 30-36. After Subotic brought Buducnost within 3, Hardy made it 36-41 at the break.

The lead soared to 9 early in the second half behind Velickovic and Kinsey. Hardy made a four-point play and then assisted to Stipanovic as Trabzonspor’s lead swelled to 39-53. It peaked at 16 on Stipanovic’s next basket. Sead Sehovic and Subotic tried to spark the home side and Jaramaz scored the final 5 points of the third quarter to make it 52-61. Dragicevic scored the first two buckets of the fourth quarter, but a Velickovic triple kept Trabzonspor free of trouble at 56-64. Buducnost continued to fight hard, but Trabzonspor seemed to have an answer for every basket. A Subotic triple made it a 5-point game late and after Johnson-Odom missed twice from the line, Subotic netted free throws to make it 76-79. Then Kinsey missed twice and Cook drew the hosts within 1. However Hardy made his free throws for Trabzonspor and after Cook made 1 and missed the second intentionally, Velickovic grabbed the rebound to seal the win.