Buducnost beats Zielona Gora to boost Last 32 hopes

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica boosted its Last 32 chances with a 100-85 victory over Stelmt Zielona Gora. Darko Planinic and Cedomir Vitkovac each scored 19 points to lift the Montenegrin champs, which improved to 3-5 and took sole possession of fourth place in Group F with the win. Zielona Gora fell to 1-7. The game was close throughout, with Buducnost building leads and Zielona Gora rallying back. It was a 3-point game early in the fourth quarter before Buducnost made its decisive run to pull away and march to victory. J.R. Reynolds added 14 points and 6 assists and Vladimir Dasic scored 12 in victory. Przemyslaw Zamojski paced Zielona Gora with 19 points, Steve Burtt Jr. scored 15, Adam Hrycaniuk and Lukasz Koszarek netted 12 apiece and Quinton Hosley had 10 in defeat.

Aleksa Popovic and Hosley traded threes early to make it 5-5. Omar Cook hit from downtown and Vitkovac added a jumper as the hosts flew ahead by 7. Threes by Hosley and Zamojski kept Zielona Gora close, but Popovic’s second triple made it 18-11. Vitkovac connected from behind the arc to give the hosts a double-digit lead, 23-13. After Hrycaniuk scored inside, Nikola Ivanovic drained Buducnost’s fifth triple of the quarter to make it 26-15 after 10 minutes. Zamojski opened the second quarter with a three, but when Vladimir Dasic connected from deep, the hosts led 31-18. Burtt and Kamil Chanas tried to rally the visitors. Koszarek’s jumper made it 33-26. Cook kept Buduscnost cruising with his second three-pointer, but a persistent Hrycaniuk kept Zielona Gora in the picture. Zamojski’s third three closed the gap to 44-38. Koszarek’s basket-plus-foul drew Zielona Gora within 5, but Dasic scored to put the hosts up 48-41 at halftime.

Koszarek made it a 4-point game early in the second half, but Planinic scored inside and Dasic from behind the arc to reset the hosts’ lead to 9. Aaron Cel’s steal and slam made it 54-49. Then Zamojski made it 55-52 with his fourth three-pointer of the game. After Troutman split free throws, Chevy Troutman had the visitors within 56-54. Bojan Subotic rescued the hosts with a clutch triple and Popovic also connected from deep to put the home team up 64-55. Zielona Gora came back again. Zamojski made it 67-65, but committed his fourth foul on the ensuing play. Buducnost responded with 8 straight points, benefitting from Daniel Johnson’s unsportsmanlike foul on Cook. Burtt managed to keep his team within 75-67 through three quarters. Troutman gave Zielona Gora hope with a three to open the fourth quarter. Hosley and Burtt each narrowed the deficit to 3. Reynolds sank a three for the hosts, but Hrycaniuk free throws made it 80-75. Suad Sehovic hit back with a three and despite a Burtt triple, the momentum swung to Buducnost, which got baskets from Vitokovic and Planinic in surging ahead 90-78. A Reynolds triple made it a 15-point game with two minutes left as the hosts marched to victory.