Sehovic carries Buducnost to vital win

Suad Sehovic scored 13 of his career-high 27 points in the first quarter to lead Buducnost VOLI Podgorica to a 93-86 victory over Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Last 32 Group H. The win was Buducnost’s first of the stage and led the team into a tie with Sassari for third place in the group at 1-2. Sehovic led a three-point shootout that saw the hosts put up 35 first-quarter points, but the high-scoring Sassari side remained in the game. A big third quarter helped the hosts cruise to an 87-65 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Sassari rallied with a 2-19 charge, however Buducnost held on. Sehovic added a career-high 13 boards for the winners, while Cedomir Vitkovac added 17 points, Omar Cook scored 13, Darko Planinic 12 and Bojan Subotic 11. Rakim Sanders paced Sassari with 24 points, Jerome Dyson scored 20 and David Logan 17.

Sehovic and Cook each struck from downtown in the first minute as the fireworks started early. Dyson got Sassari on the scoreboard with a triple. Logan hit from downtown to get the visitors within 10-8 only to see Sehovic jet Buducnost to a double-digit lead with back-to-back three-pointers. Sehovic completed a basket-plus foul for a 25-11 advantage. Dyson connected twice more from behind the arc and Matteo Formenti also struck from downtown. Edgar Sosa further trimmed the deficit to 31-25 with a triple. Planinic free throws gave the hosts 35 points at the end of the first quarter. Sehovic and Logan traded threes. Then Sanders and J.R. Reynolds did the same, with the margin remaining in the same neighborhood, 45-35. Logan’s third three narrowed the gap to 6, but Subotic left the hosts ahead 55-47 at the break.

Back-to-back threes by Cook and Subotic put the hosts comfortable ahead, 65-51. Cook and Sehovic further extended the difference to 19. Sanders kept the Sassari attack in motion, but a Sehovic three helped Buducnost reach the end of the third quarter up 81-62. Sehovic gave the hosts their largest lead of the night, 87-65. Sanders and Dyson ignited a spirited Sassari comeback combining for their team’s next 11 points. Then Shane Lawal stepped up and Massimo Chessa added a three in what became a 2-19 charge to make it 89-84 with two minutes remaining. Vitkovac sank a pair of free throws and Cook hit a jumper to give Buducnost some breathing room as it held Sassari off the claim the victory.