The hosts led by double digits for the majority of the game
Gran Canaria races past Buducnost, 82-71
Dreamland Gran Canaria extended its winning streak to four games by beating Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 82-71 at Gran Canaria Arena on Wednesday night. The hosts led from start to finish and improved their record to 9-2, moving top of Group A along with Bahcesehir College Istanbul. Buducnost recorded its second consecutive loss to drop to 4-7.
John Shurna led all scorers with 18 points, Pierre Pelos netted 14 and Miquel Salvo added 12. For Buducnost, Yogi Ferrell had 16 points and Fletcher Magee recorded 14. Juwan Morgan chipped in with 11 points and 9 rebounds, with Nikola Tanaskovic scoring 10.
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Salvo opened the scoring with a bucket inside but Yogi Ferrell nailed a triple and Tanaskovic opened his account for a 2-5 lead. Joe Thomasson and Shurna responded with back-to-back threes that put the hosts ahead, 8-6. Ferrell tied it with a buzzer-beating jumper, but George Conditt and Salvo netted inside before Pierre Pelos drilled a triple to open a 16-8 lead. Then, Caleb Homesley came off the bench to sink a three-pointer before setting up Pelos for an easy basket, with Gran Canaria securing a 21-9 cushion after 10 minutes.
Morgan opened the second quarter with a dunk before Alen Omic and McKinley Wright trimmed the deficit to 21-16. Pelos ended Buducnost’s 0-7 run with a midrange jumper, which was Gran Canaria’s first score in 3 and a half minutes. What followed was an exchange of blows inside before Homesley drilled one from beyond the arc, extending the margin to double digits, 32-21. A Massamba Diop bucket in transition, Shurna’s second triple of the night and Joe Thomasson’s basket extended their team’s run to 12-0. Four hard-fought points from Andrija Slavkovic were not enough to end Gran Canaria’s momentum, with the hosts taking a 43-25 lead into halftime.
Andrew Albicy netted a long two-pointer, before Mateo Dreznjak and Salvo traded triples, as Gran Canaria maintained a 49-28 lead. Homesley and Shurna joined the three-point party, extending the lead to 55-30. Yet, three-point plays from Tanaskovic and Ferrell brought Buducnost within 58-38. The game turned into a back-and-forth affair, with Morgan taking his tally to 10 points with back-to-back baskets that only managed to slightly cut the difference to 63-45. Conditt IV took over with two buckets inside, but Ferrell netted one from deep to reduce the gap to 67-51 heading into the closing quarter.
The guests were not willing to give up and 5 unanswered points from Magee brought Buducnost within 69-56. Mike Tobey’s first basket of the night was followed by triples from Wright and Magee, who trimmed the deficit to 73-63 with less than 3 minutes left on the clock. But Gran Canaria didn’t blink an eye, tightened up its defense in the remaining time and sealed the outcome.