Buducnost rallies past Bursaspor

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica remained atop the Group B standings by downing Frutti Extra Bursaspor 83-82 in the Montenegrin capital on Wednesday. Buducnost improved to 7-2, while Bursaspor dropped to 3-6 at the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season's halfway mark. Vladimir Micov led the winners with 20 points and Willie Reed added 18 points, 12 rebounds and a game-saving block at the buzzer. D.J. Seeley scored 14 points and Justin Cobbs 12 for Buducnost. Allerik Freeman led Bursaspor with 22 points, David Dudzinski and Derek Needham each scored 17 and Onuralp Bitim had 15 for the visitors. Bursaspor buried its first 6 attempts from downtown, as Needham, Bitim and Kevarrius Hayes gave the visitors an 18-29 margin after 10 minutes. Reed and Micov got Buducnost within 27-29, but Dudzinski and an outstanding Freeman helped Bursaspor restore a 42-52 lead at halftime. Freeman and Needham kept pushing the guests after the break, getting help from Andrew Andrews to boost Bursaspor's margin to 58-73 after 30 minutes. Micov had 9 points in an 11-0 run that brought Buducnost back to life. Seeley nailed the go-ahead three-point play with 4.2 seconds left. Freeman had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Reed blocked his shot.

Bitim got Bursaspor going with a three-pointer, but Justin Cobbs and Marko Jagodic-Kuridza gave Buducnost a 4-3 lead. Reed's stepped up with a tip-in before Needham buried back-to-back triples and Freeman also struck from downtown in a 0-11 run that boosted the visitors' lead to 6-14. Bitim insisted from beyond the arc and Needham added a put-back layup for a double-digit Bursaspor lead, 8-19. Afte Needham sank his third three-pointer, Cobbs and Seeley carried the hosts to within 12-22. Hayes followed an alley-oop layup with a three-point play and Andrews added a buzzer-beating basket, keeping Bursaspor comfortably ahead, 18-29, after 10 minutes.

Seeley hit a jumper early in the second quarter and Micov followed a running hook with a three-pointer to give Buducnost hope at 25-29. Reed scored in the low post to cap a 9-0 run. Dudzinski made a corner triple and Freeman added a layup in transition for a 27-34 Bursaspor margin. Seeley and Micov kept pushing the hosts but Freeman and Needham each struck from downtown for a 32-40 score. Freeman added to the lead with a wild four-point play. Reed rescued his team with consecutive dunks and Seeley added a driving layup, but Freeman and Dudzinski restored a 42-50 Bursaspor lead. Bitim dunked to fix the halftime score at 42-52.

Reed scored again right after the break and Cobbs hit a turnaround jumper, but Bitim and Dudzinski each struck from beyond the arc for a 46-58 Bursaspor lead. Bitim dunked and Freeman buried a three-pointer in transition that broke the game open, 48-64. Donatas Tarolis followed a put-back basket with a triple in a 7-0 run that brought the hosts within 55-64. Andrews joined the three-point shootout, getting help from Freeman and Needham to set a 58-73 Bursaspor lead at the end of the third quarter.

Dudzinski hit a close jumper early in the fourth quarter, but Buducnost found a go-to guy in Micov, who scored 9 points in an 11-0 run that brought the hosts as close as 69-75. Dudzinski and Seeley traded floaters and then Reed buried a jumper to make it 73-77 with less than 4 minutes remaining. Jagodic-Kuridza took over with a put-back basket, but Dudzinski gave Bursaspor fresh air at 75-80. Petar Popovic answered with a driving layup and struck from downtown to tie it, 80-80, with 1:25 to go. Bitim and Seeley traded missed shots, but Freeman scored in penetration for an 80-82 Bursaspor lead with 11.1 seconds left. Seeley answered with a critical three-point play that completed Buducnost's comeback, 83-82, with 4.2 seconds remaining. Bursaspor had a final chance to win the game but Reed blocked Freeman's baseline jumper at the buzzer.

Reed delivers again

Willie Reed had a sensational performance for Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in his team's Round 9 victory against Frutti Extra Bursaspor. Reed finished the game with 18 points on 7-of-12 two-point shooting, 4-of-4 on free throws and 12 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season. He had four double-doubles in the 2020-21 campaign, in which he earned All-EuroCup First Team honors. Reed handed Buducnost the victory with a great defensive stop down the stretch. Buducnost led 83-82 and Allerik Freeman had a chance to win it with a baseline jumper but Reed stood in his way with a huge block.

Bitim has career-best performance

Onuralp Bitim produced his best performance in the 7DAYS EuroCup until now for Frutti Extra Bursaspor. Bitim had a couple of spectacular dunks and had an all-around strong game, finishing with a career-high 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown, plus 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 15, also a personal-best.

By the numbers: Buducnost dominates the boards

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica had to wait until the final seconds to celebrate its Round 9 win against Frutti Extra Bursaspor, 83-82. Rebounds and free-throw accuracy allowed Buducnost to rally from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Montenegrin powerhouse outrebounded Bursaspor 44-25. Buducnost pulled down 17 offensive rebounds and only allowed Bursaspor to grab 5, in what was one of the biggest keys to this game. The hosts made 24 of 26 free-throw attempts (92.3%) and committed just 12 turnovers.