Joventut Badalona grabbed its fourth consecutive win in Group A by downing Dolomiti Energia Trento 82-65 at home on Tuesday. Joventut improved to 8-2 in the standings while Trento fell to 1-9.
Joventut beats Trento for fourth straight win, 82-65
Vladimir Brodziansky led the winners with 21 points, Brandon Paul added 14 and Ante Tomic had 10 for Joventut. Johnathan Williams paced Trento with 15 points and Diego Flaccadori and Cameron Reynolds each added 11 for the visitors. Joel Parra shined early and got help from the entire Joventut frontcourt to give the hosts a double-digit margin, 24-11, after 10 minutes. Tomic, Paul and Brodziansky soon helped Joventut boost the margin to 43-24 at halftime. Williams stepped up after the break and Toto Forray and Flaccadori brought Trento within single digits, 56-48, at the end of the third quarter. The guests kept their chances open for the best part of the fourth quarter but Brodziansky buried three consecutive three-pointers to seal the outcome down the stretch.
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Ferran Bassas got Joventut going with a three-pointer and Pep Busquets matched Diego Flaccadori's floater with a backdoor layup for a 5-2 lead. Parra found his first points and Derek Willis added a couple of layups, but Andrea Mezzanotte and Reynolds each hit a triple to make it 14-8. Tomic scored down low and Brodziansly buried his trademark jump hook to make it a double-digit game, 18-8. Paul and Toto Forray each struck from beyond the arc and then Simon Birgander dunked to fix the score at 24-11 after 10 minutes.
Paul followed a six-meter jumper with a triple to break the game open, 29-11, early in the second quarter. Reynolds answered from downtown and Maximilian Ladurner erased Andres Feliz's floater with a dunk that kept Trento within 31-16. Birgander hit a jump hook and Parra added an off-balance turnaround jumper for a 35-16 Joventut lead. Williams stepped up with a driving layup and Flaccadori scored in the low post, but Tomic kept the hosts comfortably ahead, 39-20. Joventut kept connecting with its big men and Tomic and Brodziansky gave their team a 43-24 cushion at halftime.
Williams followed a close basket with a floater and Flaccadori added a driving layup to get Trento a bit closer, 45-30, after the break. Paul and Brodziansky rescued Joventut with back-to-back three-pointers and Flaccadori also struck from downtown to make it 51-33. Williams kept pushing Trento with consecutive layups and a three-point play, giving the visitors hope at 53-40. DeSonta Bradford hit a mid-range jumper and Forray added a driving layup, but Parra and Feliz set a 56-44 Joventut margin. Forray and Flaccadori brought their team within single digits, 56-48, after 30 minutes.
Albert Ventura downed a corner three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Forray quickly answered with a floater that Tomic matched with a layup. Ventura bettered Reynolds's floater with his second triple and Willis dunked, but Ladurner kept Trento within 66-56 with under 6 minutes remaining. Reynolds improved Paul's layup with a bomb from beyond the arc. Brodziansky gave Joventut plenty of fresh air at 70-59. Bradford took over with a wild one-handed slam and soon added a tip-in. However, Brodziansky struck three times from downtown to seal the outcome, 80-65, already in the final minute.