By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Buducnost displayed resilience and once again came back with a fourth-quarter rally to take down favorites Virtus Segafredo Bologna 86-82 at home. This win comes a week after also causing an upset against Valencia, once again in Podgorica.
It all came down to the last five seconds, as Milos Teodosic missed a chance to even the score from under the basket and possibly send the game to overtime (84-82 lead for Buducnost). Kyle Weems immediately fouled on Justin Cobbs, who delivered the killing blow for Virtus with a pair of free throws.
Cobbs led the way for Buducnost with a total of 23 points and 8 assists, Willie Reed added up to the list of top scorers with 21 points and Petar Popovic contributed 12 for Aleksandar Dzikic’s squad that moved to 3-0.
Marco Bellinelli and Kevin Hervey both added 15 points for Virtus that suffered its first loss in EuroCup this season and Amedeo Tessitori posted 13.
Frutti Extra Bursaspor moved on with their second victory after handing Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana a 93-84 defeat, their first of this campaign.
Allerik Freeman and Kevarrius Hayes combined 43 points (22 and 21 respectively) to help the Turkish side emerge, after being down 26-21 in the first quarter.
Jaka Blazic led the way for Cedevita with 20 points, Marcus Keene and Jacob Pullen shared 16 points each and Zach August added 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Ratiopharm Ulm stood strong against Umana Reyer Venezia to clinch a 90-83 comeback win in overtime.
Venezia led with as much as 49-28 by the end of the first half with 12/19 from the three-point line, though the tables turned quickly in the second half and the German side managed not only to get back to the game, but force the OT.
Semaj Christon posted 19 points for Ulm, Karim Jallow added 18 points and 7 rebounds, while the team also picked up 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists by Jaron Blossomgame.
Stefano Tonut led the effort of the Italians with 15 points and 3 out of 4 from the three-point line, while Vasilis Charalampopoulos and Austin Daye posted 14 points each.
Gran Canaria outlasted Valencia’s comeback to take a 90-89 win at the Spanish derby of Group B. Despite a 24-15 run by Joan Penarroya’s club in the fourth period, GranCa was strong and managed to register their second win of the season.
Nicolas Brussino led the way for the visitors with 17 points, Dylan Ennis added 16 points, AJ Slaughter had 13 and John Shurna posted 12.
Valencia, which slipped its second straight game, picked up 16 points by Jasiel Riviero, while Martin Hermannsson and Sam Van Rossom added 15 and 14 respectively.
Standings:
| Group B | W | L | PTS+ | PTS- | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica | 3 | 0 | 243 | 231 | 12 |
| 2. Virtus Segafredo Bologna | 2 | 1 | 270 | 245 | 25 |
| 3. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | 2 | 1 | 254 | 249 | 5 |
| 4. Gran Canaria | 2 | 1 | 252 | 249 | 3 |
| 5. Frutti Extra Bursaspor | 2 | 1 | 246 | 247 | -1 |
| 6. Valencia Basket | 1 | 2 | 251 | 243 | 8 |
| 7. Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse | 1 | 2 | 233 | 226 | 7 |
| 8. Umana Reyer Venice | 1 | 2 | 211 | 208 | 3 |
| 9. ratiopharm Ulm | 1 | 2 | 231 | 249 | -18 |
| 10. Promitheas Patras | 0 | 3 | 225 | 269 | -44 |
Round 4 matchups:
Umana Reyer Venice – Buducnost Voli Podgorica
Promitheas Patras – Frutti Extra Bursaspor
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana – Ratiopharm Ulm
Virtus Segafredo Bologna – Valencia Basket
Gran Canaria – Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse
Photo: EuroCup