Fletcher Magee led the way with 23 points
Offense carried the load for Buducnost in crucial victory
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica picked up a crucial victory in its fight to stay in the race for the playoffs as its offense carried the team to an overtime win.
Buducnost registered a season-high in points in a 105-100 victory over ratiopharm Ulm to snap a two-game losing streak and move to 3-4 - just outside the playoff spots in Group A.
“There was a lot of pressure. It was a must-win game,” said Buducnost coach Andrej Zakelj. “We were nervous and really didn’t play good defense. We were too soft. But in the end we won. It was a tough game. Not easy with the pressure on the players. But we have to deal with this and all that matters is we get the win.”
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Among the six Buducnost scorers in double figures was Fletcher Magee with 23 points, McKinley Wright 18 points and Yogi Ferrell with 17 points, including the game-winning triple with 10 seconds left in the game.
“It was a very important win for us. We showed good character and we knew before the game that it would be tough,” said Kenan Kamenjas, who chipped in 15 points and 5 rebounds.
Buducnost had only been averaging 81.0 points per game, ranked 12th in the EuroCup. Zakelj’s team shot 66.7% on two-pointers and 50.0% (10/20) on three-pointers. The Montenegrin team was much better shooting the ball, coming into the game ranked 12th inside the arc at 52.3% and 11th from long range at 34.7%.
But Buducnost also took advantage of Ulm’s generous defense. The German side has given up 100+ points in its last three road games. The team ranks last in scoring defense at 94.3 points allowed per game, and Coach Ty Harrelson’s side ranked 19th in both 58.1% on two-pointers and 40.6% on three-pointers. All three of those numbers are only going to get worse ahead of Round 8.