BC Triumph Lyubertsy rejoined the race to reach the Eurocup Quarterfinals by downing KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica 76-66 in Last 16 Group I at home on Wednesday. Both teams now tie in Group I, each with a 2-3 record. Triumph visits BC Budivelnik Kiev and Buducnost hosts Banvit BK Bandirma. Both teams need to win and wait for other results in order to advance. Sergey Karasev paced the winners with 24 points on 5-of-8 three-point shots. Tywain McKee added 16 and 8 assists for Triumph. Marko Popovic led Buducnost with 18 points on 5-of-10 three-point shots. Dusko Bunic added 11 for the guests. Triumph opened the game with a 7-0 run and managed to keep a 18-16 edge after 10 minutes. A three-pointer by Karasev restored a 26-19 Triumph lead early in the second quarter. Buducnost improved its defense and free throws by Marko Popovic tied it, 30-30, at halftime. Marko Popovic and Lee combined for 10 points in a 0-12 run that gave the guests a 32-42 edge right after the break. McKee and Evgeny Valiev stepped up for Triumph, leading a 9-0 run that tied it at 48-48. Triumph found a go-to guy in Karasev, who had 11 points in a 13-0 run that broke the game open, 64-52, enough for the hosts to cruise to an important home win.

Both teams went scoreless in the opening 2 minutes until Ivan Lazarev got Triumph going with a three-point play. Karasev added a layup and Yuval Naimy forced Buducnost to call timeout at 7-0. Aleksa Popovic tried to change things with a close basket and a three-pointer by Nikola Ivanovic brought the guests within 7-5. Lazarev followed a layup with a jumper and Naimy matched Bunic's free throws with a mid-range shot for a 13-7 Triumph edge. Karasev kept pacing Triumph with a three-point play but Strahinja Milosevic and Bunic brought the guests as close as 16-14. Free throws by Naimy and Milan Milosevic fixed the score at 18-16 after 10 minutes. McKee shined with a layup-plus-foul early in the second quarter. Aleksa Popovic answered from downtown but Tasamin downed a jumper and a triple by Karasev made it a seven-point game, 26-19. Cedomir Vitkovac stepped up with a put-back layup, igniting an 0-8 run that Marko Popovic capped with a three-pointer that gave Buducnost its first lead, 26-27. Kyle Landry downed a jumper and Naimy added a layup but free throws by Vitkovac and Marko Popovic tied the game, 30-30, at halftime.

Devin Searcy scored around the basket right after the break but he didn't find much help around. Meanwhile, Marko Popovic struck twice from downtown and Lee added back-to-back baskets in a 0-12 Buducnost run that allowed the guests to get a double-digit margin, 32-42. Valiev split free throws and a three-point play by McKee brought Triumph within 36-42. Aleksa Popovic and Karasev traded baskets and Marko Popovic kept the guests way ahead, 39-48. It didn't last long, however, as McKee buried a triple and Valiev did even better with a four-point play. McKee tied the game with free throws, 48-48, after a 9-0 Triumph run. Nikola Ivanovic made free throws, Karasev hit a three-pointer and a layup by Bunic fixed the score at 51-52 after 30 minutes. Triumph improved its defense early in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Karasev followed a layup with back-to-back triples to ignite the crowd at 59-52. Artem Vikhrov dunked it and a red hot Karasev nailed another one from downtown to cap a 13-0 run. Marko Popovic nailed consecutive three-pointers but Landry and Vikhrov kept Triumph way ahead, 68-58, with under 6 minutes left. McKee shined with back-to-back baskets and a layup by Landry sealed the outcome, 74-62, as Buducnost never recovered.