The Montenegrin side produced a monster second half to keep its postseason bid alive
Buducnost blows away Joventut, 107-75, edges closer to playoffs
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Buducnost VOLI Podgorica took a big step towards clinching a playoff spot in the BKT EuroCup as it improved its Group A record to 9-8 after an emphatic 107-75 home win over shorthanded Joventut Badalona, which was missing several key players.
The result means that Buducnost is assured of making the postseason if it beats Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius on the road in its final regular-season matchup, while a defeat may not turn out to be costly if other results go the Montenegrin team’s way.
Among half a dozen home players who posted double figures, livewire playmaker Yogi Ferrell stood out with a team-high 20 points and 5 assists, shooting 6 of 7 from three-point range. Teenager Djordje Jovanovic capped a perfect night with 13 points, having sank all his five shots from the floor. Big man Kenan Kamenjsas chipped in with 12 points and 8 boards, while Rasheed Sulaimon, Fletcher Magee and Nikola Tanaskovic added 10 points each.
At the other end, Sam Dekker paced Joventut on a game-high 26 points, Yannick Kraag scored 12 and Michael Ruzic netted 11 for the visitors, who had lost any hope of advancing into the business end of the competition with a defeat in the last round.
Game Videos
Buducnost raced into an early 17-9 lead before Joventut enjoyed its best spell of the game and briefly turned the tide with a 4-14 run which allowed the Spanish team to nose ahead at the end of the first quarter, 21-23. That, however, was as good as it got for the visiting team as Buducnost ramped up its defense in the second and led 46-38 at halftime, having been roared on by a fervent home crowd in the iconic Moraca gym.
The writing was on the wall for the visitors at the end of the third quarter as Buducnost fed off a barrage of offensive boards and steals as well as Joventut’s turnovers, forced by relentless hustle from the hosts which drew standing ovations from the crowd.
Buducnost headed into the fourth with a 74-55 lead and Ferrell put the icing on the cake with a late show, setting up Jovanovic for a brilliant slam dunk before he unloaded three successive shots from downtown, giving the hosts their biggest lead of the night, 96-60.
The performance, albeit against a depleted Joventut side, makes happy reading for Buducnost ahead of next week’s trip to Vilnius, where it faces a potential dogfight against Wolves for a playoff berth.