FMP outlasted Gran Canaria 84-88

FMP took a big step towards the ULEB Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday with an 84-88 road win over Gran Canaria. The visitors used a hot shooting night from downtown – making 11-of-21 three-pointer (52.4%) – to hold on for the win in a close game that went down to the wire. Branko Cvetkovic led the FMP effort with 21 points, Zoran Erceg added 18 with 7 rebounds, Milos Teodosic was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc for 14 points and Aleksandar Rasic finished with 14 points and 6 assists. Jackson Vroman drew 10 fouls and went 8-for-9 from the line on his way to 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks to lead the hosts. Jimmie Hunter added 13, Jim Moran and Marcus Norris scored 11 each and Sergio Perez posted 10. Rasic and Erceg helped FMP out to a 5-11 lead, but Hunter helped Gran Canaria tied the score at 22-22 after 10 minutes. It remained close at halftime (41-42) and Kornel David netted a clutch three to close the gap to 66-68. Cvetkovic and Teodosic helped bring the FMP lead to 10 before Vroman and Hunter cut the gap to 4 in the end, setting up a difficult road to climb for the second leg in two weeks in Serbia.

FMP started strong with jumpers from Ivan Zigeranovic and Rasic giving the visitors a 0-4 lead. Norris put Gran Canaria on the board with a foul-line jumper after 2 minutes. Moran's triple carried the hosts to within 5-6, but Rasic added another jumper and Erceg scored from the line to make it 5-11. Norris continued to produce points and then Mario Fernandez came off the bench for a steal and a layup to make it 16-17. Vroman tied the game at 20-20 with a slam and Hunter erased Teodosic's free throws with a jumper to end the first period with the score tied 22-22. Perez drilled a triple to start the second period and give the hosts their first lead of the game. Perez then added two free throws to make it 27-22. Back-to-back three-pointers by Teodosic and Cvetkovic restored the FMP advantage as the lead started to swing back-and-forth. Teodosic drilled two more triples to keep FMP rolling, while Victor Balbo's jumper made it 37-38. David traded points with Erceg and Ivan Todorovic to deal the halftime score at 41-42.

Slobodan Popovic opened the second half for FMP with a triple only for layups by Hunter and Moran to tie the score at 45-45. Erceg came right back with a triple and a layup, but Vroman's three-point play kept it tight. Rasic rifled in a triple at the midway point of the period and then made a layup for a 50-57 lead. Moran scored from the line and then his a jumper to close the gap only for Cvetkovic to restore FMP's lead to 58-64 with 10 minutes to go. Vroman continued to draw fouls from the FMP big men and made three free throws at the start of the fourth quarter before Roberto Guerra's steal led to a Vroman layup that made it 63-66. Cvetkovic went to the line for two free throws, but David stepped up with a three to bring the hosts within 2. Vroman matched Todorovic's free throws with a basket in the paint, but Cvetkovic answered with a triple and David committed an offensive foul on the ensuing possession. After Erceg's free throws, FMP led 68-75 midway through the final period. Fernandez missed from downtown for Gran Canaria and Erceg rifled in a three on the other end for the visitors' first double-digit lead. Perez hit a three and soon after a layup that made it 75-80, however Teodosic's triple meant more bad news for the hosts. Vroman and Hunter managed to get Gran Canaria to 81-86, however Erceg scored for FMP and Norris and Hunter came up empty on the other end as time started ticking away. Hunter added one last three for the hosts, but they will still have a 4-point deficit to climb in the return leg in two weeks if they fancy a spot in the quarterfinals.