Buducnost fights off Olimpija, moves to 2-0

U18 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica remained perfect at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade with a tough 84-91 victory over U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Group B. Tomislav Ivisic collected 29 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks for an index rating of 48 as Buducnost took control of the game with a 3-11 run in the fourth quarter. Buducnost was playing without leader Fedor Zugic and Danilo Ivanovic stepped up with 19 points and 9 assists while Zoran Vuceljic had 13 points, Milos Stijepovic 12 and Eray Buyukcangaz scored 10 points in the victory. Olimpija fell to 0-2 in the group despite Andrija Jelavic scoring 21 points and Vice Zanki hitting for 18 points and 7 assists. Nil Jovanovic added 14 points and 12 assists and Ivan Matlekovic scored 13 points in the loss.

Ivisic and Vuceljic hit three-pointers early as Buducnost went ahead 2-6 with Olimpija scoring the next 10 points. Stijepovic and Ivanovic were on target from long range to keep Buducnost close at 16-14 but Olimpija was up 23-14 after 10 minutes. Buducnost put together its first run in the second quarter with 11 straight points to move up 26-29. Olimpija got five points from Matlekovic and regained the lead 37-34. Buducnost finished the first half strong and went into the break up 39-45.

Buducnost continued the momentum and an Ivisic triple increased the margin to 43-52. Olimpija came right back with a 13-2 run including three-point plays from Matlekovic and Jakov Jacovic for a 56-54 lead. It was Buducnost though which led after 30 minutes, 61-64. Ivanovic came through with a big three-pointer and three free throws as Buducnost’s cushion grew to 65-72 early in the final frame. And Buducnost delivered the knockout punch with a 3-11 surge for a 73-85 advantage with less than 3 minutes to play.