Wilbekin stars, Darussafaka outlasts Buducnost

Darussafaka Istanbul got another big game from star guard Scottie Wilbekin to edge Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 57-54 in Game 1 of the teams’ best-of-three 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals series on Tuesday at Volkswagen Arena. Coach David Blatt’s team will look to finish the series on Friday in Game 2 in the Montenegrin capital, but Buducnost will be confident after nearly pulling off the upset in Istanbul. Wilbekin produced 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for the winners, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining. JaJuan Johnson tallied 17 points and 9 rebounds and James Bell added 10 points, but was seen limping to the locker room after the final buzzer. Danilo Nikolic led Buducnost with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, Nikola Ivanovic also scored 12 and Nemanja Gordic had 10. A true defensive battle, the 57 points was a record low for Darussfaka and Buducnost’s 54 was the lowest it scored all season. The game had many swings and runs for each team. Darussafaka seemed to have the game under control when it led by 13 in the third quarter, but Buducnost held the hosts scoreless for the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 46-46. It all came down to the final minute when Wilbekin and Johnson stepped up for the home team.

After clock issues delayed the start of the game and caused another stop inside the first minute, Johnson opened the scoring for the hosts and Gordic put Buducnost on the scoreboard. Neither team found an offensive groove for some time. Suad Sehovic briefly gave the visitors the lead at 5-7, but Bell answered with a three-pointer and added a jumper in a 9-0 Darussafaka run. Ivanovic and Sead Sehovic helped Buducnost narrow the deficit to 16-13 after 10 minutes. Danilo Nikolic’s three-pointer to start the second quarter evened the score and Ivanovic connected twice from downtown to cap a 0-13 Buducnost charge that bridged the first two quarters and made it 16-22. Wilbekin revived the hosts with a triple and a pair of free throws and a Johnson jumper made it 23-22 midway through the quarter. Gordic ended Buducnost's four-minute scoring drought with a finger roll and added a jumper, but Wilbekin evened the game with a three-pointer and split free throws with 5 seconds remaining in the half to give his team a 27-26 halftime edge.

Wilbekin picked up where he left off with a three to start the second half and assists on a Johnson triple and a Michael Eric layup for a 9-point advantage. Gordic free throws gave Buducnost its first points of the second half three-plus minutes into the third quarter. Neither team scored a basket over a four-minute period, though both teams managed points from the foul line. Johnson ended that stretch with a pair of jumpers for a 43-33 lead. The lead reached 13 on another Wilbekin-to-Johnson connection before Aleksa Ilic scored inside for the visitors’ only basket of the third quarter, which made it 46-35. Buducnost held Darussafaka scoreless for the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, during which the visitors reeled off 11 unanswered points to climb – 5 from the hands of Danilo Nikolic – to tie the game at 46-46 on a Zoran Nikolic basket. Howard Sant-Roos split free throws to end Darussafaka’s struggles and Muhammed Baygul sank a top-of-the-key three to make it 52-48 with two minutes remaining. Gordic hit back with an off-balance shot and Danilo Nikolic tied it from the line. Wilbekin hit a triple with 35 seconds to go and after Ivanovic missed, Johnson iced the game from the line.