Gran Canaria survives test from Buducnost

Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas won its third straight Last 32 game to head into the eighthfinals in form by outlasted Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 83-88 in a game that was for protocol only. Gran Canaria, which finished Group H with a 5-1 mark, gad already clinched first place in the group last week. Its eighthfinals opponent is not yet known. Buducnost finished the group in fourth place with a 1-5 record. The game was close throughout; it was tied with four minutes to go and the hosts trailed by just 1 with a minute remaining, but Buducnost did not score on its final possessions and Gran Canaria secured the victory. Walter Tavares totaled 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks and Levon Kendall also scored 16 for Granca. Ian O’Leary added 14 points and Kyle Kuric produced 12 points and 5 assists. Vladimir Dasic paced Buducnost with 20 points, Suad Sehovic scored 17 and grabbed 9 rebounds, J.R. Reynolds netted 15 points, Ivan Paunic 13 and Omar Cook finished with 10 points and 7 assists.

Buducnost started strong as Dasic delivered a pair of assists – including one to Sehovic on a four-point play – for an 8-2 lead. Tavares had Granca’s first four baskets before back-to-back threes by Kuric and Tomas Bellas tied the game at 14-14. O’Leary gave the visitors their first lead, but Sehovic connected from behind the arc twice in the final minute of the opening quarter to give Buducnost a 29-22 lead. Elias Baez came alive for Granca early in the second quarter with 7 points to tie that game at 34-34. After O’Lary briefly put the visitors on top, Paunic sank a triple. Kuric again pushed the visitors in front and a pair of Txemi Urtasun buckets made it 46-49 at the break.

Oriol Pauli extended the lead to 7 early in the second half and later his dunk made it 54-63 midway through the third quarter. Buducnost stayed in the hunt and closed to within 4 on Reynolds’s free throws before Tavares sank 2 from the charity stripe to make it 64-70 at the end of the quarter. Cook fed Dasic who narrowed the gap to 70-72. Dasic stayed hot and scored on the offensive glass to even the score at 76-76. Granca regained the lead, but it was 83-84 entering the final minute after a Sehovic layup. But O’Leary scored a tip-in and the hosts missed their final three shots as Gran Canaria celebrated another win.