Andrej Zakelj made his debut with a win on the bench of Podgorica’s Buducnost. His new team won against Trento after overtime in the eighth round of the Eurocup, with a score of 98:96.
These rivals played a dramatic game in Podgorica, and the winner was only determined after an additional five minutes.
Yoan Makoundou played an outstanding game, leading his team to win with 23 points and eight rebounds. McKinley Wright scored one point less, and Fletcher Magee contributed 14 points. On the other side, Prentiss Hubb scored 24, Andrejs Grazulis scored 22, and Kamar Baldwin added 11 points.
After this round, both teams have three wins and five losses.
The guests had a better start to the game, leading 17-6. Then, Buducnost mounted a mini comeback, narrowing the gap to 17-11. Yoan Makoundou scored five points in this series. The home team continued to play aggressively in defense, moving much faster in offense, as emphasized by the new coach Andrej Žakelj, and managed to close the gap to 22-20 by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Budućnost scored easy transition points, taking the lead 24-22. Then, Prentiss Hubb scored eight consecutive points, including two three-pointers, and the guests regained the advantage. Zakelj called a timeout. Andrejs Grazulis joined in with his third three-pointer, giving Trento a five-point lead. On the other side, Andrija Grbovic stepped up, scoring eight consecutive points and securing a 38-35 lead for his team.
The halftime score was 45-44 in favor of the guests.
The second half started similarly to the first, with teams exchanging leads. Then, Trento, after a mini run, took a six-point lead, 56-50, midway through the third quarter. They maintained that lead, entering the decisive 10 minutes with a four-point advantage, 65-61.
At the beginning of the final quarter, Trento extended their lead to seven points, but Makoundou narrowed it to 72-68 with a three-pointer. After the fourth three-pointer from the French player, Andrej Zakelj team managed to equalize at 75-75. Following a basket by Fletcher Magee, Buducnost took the lead at 77-75, creating an 11-2 run.
The game continued with back-and-forth scoring in a suspenseful finish. Makoundou gave Buducnost a lead of 83-82 with another three-pointer, but Grazulis responded, putting Trento ahead 85-83. Wright equalized, and after the guests missed a shot, he had the last attempt for win but was blocked, sending the game into overtime.
In the additional five minutes, a similar story unfolded, with both teams responding to each other’s points, mostly hitting three-pointers. After a three-pointer by Brandon Paul, Andrej Zakelj team took their largest lead, which they held until the end.
Gran Canaria convincingly won on the road against Cluj with a score of 92-70. Sylven Lendsberg had an excellent game, scoring 26 points. In the home team, the former player of Cacak’s Borac and FMP, Bryce Jones, was the top scorer with 18 points, and Andrija Stipanovic contributed 10.
BUDUCNOST – TRENTO 98:96 (20:22, 24:23, 17:20, 24:20, 13:11)
Arena: Moraca, Podgorica
Referees: Panther, Lezcano, Radojkovic
Buducnost: Mihailovic 1, Magee 14, Ross 7, Slavkovic, Makoundou 23, Grbovic 10, Jones 6, Jagodic-Kuridza 2, Williams 4, Wright 22, Popovic 6, Paul 3.
Trento: Ellis 9, Stephens 7, Hubb 25, Conti, Forray 8, Cooke 2, Udom 3, Biligha 9, Grazulis 22, Baldwin 11.