
Buducnost m:tel stayed in the race to seal a Last 16 ticket in Group C by downing Budivelnik 69-54 in Podgorica, Montenegro on Tuesday. Buducnost improved to 2-2 in Group C and are one win away from Budivelnik and Gran Canaria 2014, that tie for first place at 3-1 apiece. Marko Simonovic led the winners with 14 points. Vladimir Dragicevic added 13 for Buducnost. Andy Betts led Budivelnik with 19 points on 8-of-8 two-pointers and a game-high 8 rebounds. Andriy Agafonov had 11 for the guests. Bojan Dubljevic and Nikola Otasevic fueled an 11-0 run that allowed Buducnost to break the game open, 24-12, early in the second quarter. Simonovic helped Buducnost to boost its margin to 45-29 at halftime. Nothing changed after the break, as Buducnost excelled in defense and managed to keep a double-digit lead all the way until the final buzzer.
Betts got Budivelnik going and Morley added back-to-back baskets for a 3-6 lead. Aleksej Nesovic stepped up with a layup, igniting a 6-0 run that Dragicevic capped with a dunk to give Buducnost a 9-6 margin. Betts scored down low and than matched Marko Scekic's layup to keep the guests as close as 11-10. Buducnost improved its defense late in the first quarter and free throws by Simonovic gave the hosts a 13-10 edge. Lamayne Wilson sank a jumper but a layup by Dubljevic ignited an 11-0 run in which Otasevic struck from downtown to give Buducnost a 24-12 lead early in the second quarter. Budivelnik had been scoreless for almost 5 minutes until Wilson buried a three-pointer. Simonovic scored down low and Gintaras Kadziulis added a jumper to break the game open, 28-16. Budivelnik kept struggling to score and a dunk by Dragicevic sent the crowd to their feet, 30-16. Betts tried to change things with a layup and Wilson added a put-back basket for a 32-20 Budivelnik deficit. Dubljevic followed a layup with a dunk to keep Buducnost way ahead, 36-22. Denys Lukashov and Agafonov stepped up for the guests but Simonovic followed free throws with a triple and beat the buzzer with a layup to give his team a 45-29 lead at halftime.
The game turned into a physical battle after the break, with a lot of fouls. Free throws by Keys and Betts got Budivelnik within 47-32. Kadziulis split foul shots and Dragicevic added a three-pointer that broke the game open, 51-32. Betts and Zach Morley stepped up with consecutive baskets in a 0-7 run that Wilson capped with a layup-plus-foul, enough for Budivelnik to get within 52-39. Simonovic rescued Buducnost with a three-pointer and Aleksandar Mitrovic added a layup to boost the hosts' lead to 57-39 after 30 minutes. Budivelnik improved its defense early in the fourth quarter, as Buducnost tried to use longer possessions to run the game clock down. Meanwhile, back-to-back layups by Denis Ikovlev and Agafonov gave the guests some hope at 57-43. Sead Sehovic sank a triple but Agafonov and Morley got Budivelnik even closer, 60-48. Buducnost improved its defense right when it mattered, while a layup by Dragicevic and a three-pointer by Kadziulis sealed the outcome, 65-50, with 2 minutes left. Budivelnik kept trying but Buducnost had cruised to a very important road win.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Eurocupbasketball.com