After seeing its five-game winning run come to an end last week, Buducnost got back on track in Round 10
Impressive second half from Buducnost proves far too much for Lions
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 10 of 18
Regular Season
group b
Buducnost VOLI PodgoricaBUD
9463
London LionsLDN
group b
Overview
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A breakout third quarter was the key to victory for Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Wednesday night at the MTEL Moraca Sports Hall, as the Montenegrin side overwhelmed the London Lions and took control of the game. Buducnost went on to secure a 94-63 victory.
The hosts took the lead after just two minutes and managed to hold it until the final seconds of the opening quarter, when a Tarik Phillip buzzer-beating triple put the Lions ahead. Buducnost responded in the second quarter, attacking the hole consistently to regain a slim advantage. However, the true difference was made in the third period, when Andrej Zakelj’s team ramped up their defensive effort, severely limiting London’s scoring opportunities and capitalizing on the other end, widening the ultimately insurmountable margin.
“We started the third quarter much better on defense, much more aggressive,” said Zakelj. “With [Oleksandr] Kovliar at point guard, we put much more pressure on and everybody else became more aggressive. That gave us a good result in the third quarter, and then offense is much easier to play when you are good on defense.”
His counterpart, Lions coach Tautvydas Sabonis, expected a third-quarter shut-down but was disappointed with his team’s reaction to it.
“The physicality in the second half was expected and we didn’t answer,” Sabonis bemoaned. “They played a very good second half and we didn’t show up.”
Before the game, the Lithuanian coach pinpointed Buducnost forward Rasheed Sulaimon as a major threat. “They've got Sulaimon, who is a veteran in this league, certified bucket getter.” Well, he was right. The 31-year-old enjoyed a well-rounded display, adding 6 assists to his 16-point scoring display, while shooting 3 for 3 from downtown and not committing a turnover throughout the contest.
“I am satisfied with our team’s performance,” said Sulaimon. “I’m just going out there to play as hard as I can. Today, I got into a rhythm and my teammates found me. I think, overall, the energy and defense was great. I’m just happy for this win.”
Last week’s loss to JL Bourg-en-Bresse snapped a five-game winning streak for Buducnost. Sulaimon stressed the importance of the win as his side hopes to build added momentum.
“It was a very important win, especially coming off a loss against Bourg. We have to get into a good rhythm now, we’re in a good position but we’re still hungry and want more.”
Of course, he was helped by his teammates. Nikola Tanaskovic led Buducnost in scoring, doing all of his damage in the paint. Axel Bouteille and Juwan Morgan also boosted their team with double-digit scoring. For the Lions, Phillip recorded 16 rebounds, 4 boards and 5 dishes in defeat.
The result moves Buducnost to 7-3 for the season, putting it level with Turk Telekom Ankara in the standings. It will face Dolomiti Energia Trento next Tuesday. London slides to an even 5-5 for its EuroCup campaign and hopes to pull off an upset versus table-topping Besiktas GAIN Istanbul in a week’s time.
