Gran Canaria wins big, stays perfect

Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas cruised to a comfortable 92-69 victory at home over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Wednesday to improve to 2-0 in Group H of the Last 32. Kyle Kuric paced Gran Canaria with 19 points while Brad Newley, Ian O’Leary and Levon Kendall all scored 14 points, Eulis Baez had 6 points and 10 rebounds, and Walter Taveras picked up 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Buducnost dropped to 0-2 despite Darko Planinic scoring 18 points. Omar Cook had 12 points and Bojan Subotic chipped in 10 in the loss.

Kuric opened the game for the hosts with a three-pointer that Cook answered from the same distance. Taveras sandwiched two dunks around free throws by Newley for a 9-3 lead. The gap was out to 11-5 before a three-ball from J.R. Reynolds made it 11-8. Newley’s 3 free throws were matched by a triple from Cook at the other end for a 14-11 score. Robert Rikic cut the margin down to 16-14. But Albert Oliver knocked down a long ball and Txemi Urtasun, Kendall and O’Leary all made 2 free throws each to push the lead to 25-16. It was 25-18 after 10 minutes. O’Leary hit a layup and three-pointer to start the second quarter and open a 30-18 cushion. And it was 33-20 after Kuric’s three-point play. Aleksa Popovic and Rikic scored to get it down to 33-24 before the hosts scored the next 4 points. Cook nailed a triple and Planinic hit back-to-back baskets to get Buducnost to within 39-31. Newley answered from long distance and Kuric made it 44-31. The guests finished the half strong with Subotic knocking down a three-pointer and converting a three-point play to get within 46-37 at intermission.

After Taveras and Baez scored to open the second half, Cook made it 50-39. But Kendall tallied 6 points and four other players scored in a 14-3 run over a six-minute stretch as Gran Canaria built a 64-42 cushion. Vladimir Dasic’s three-pointer had the guests get to within 66-47 after 30 minutes. Oriol Pauli started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer before Planinic scored three baskets to get Buducnost as close as 71-53. O’Leary responded with a three-point play but Popovic and Dasic both knocked down long-range shots to trim the deficit to 76-59 midway through the fourth quarter. Buducnost couldn’t get the gap down to 16 points until Dasic’s basket to make it 79-63 with 2:47 minutes left. And the guests wouldn’t get closer the rest of the game.