Buducnost defeated Mega 73-71 in the fifth round of the ABA League, remaining one of the two undefeated teams.
Budućnost had a much better start, evident in their 15-7 lead. The main contributor to the advantage of the blue and white team was Yoan Makoundou, who proved to be a puzzle that Mega’s head coach, Marko Barac, couldn’t solve. Omer Can Ilyasoglu was the player who changed the momentum for the Belgrade team, bringing Mega closer at 18-13 before the end of the first quarter.
Colbey Ross and Fletcher Magee initiated a 14-3 run for their team in the early stages of the second quarter, giving Buducnost a significant lead of 33-20. Barac’s squad found their rhythm in the following minutes, but the Podgorica team expertly ended the first half with a 10-point lead at 41-31.
Petar Mijović’s team had a better start in the third quarter, taking a 45-31 lead, but then there was a dip in the home team’s performance. With three-pointers from Ilyasoglu and good plays from Stefan Miljenovic, Mega quickly reduced the lead to single digits at 49-42. At one point, the visitors came within one possession at 53-50, but Buducnost managed to repel that surge somewhat before the final 10 minutes of the game, leading 58-53.
It seemed like Buducnost was on the verge of securing the victory, but then Mega launched a 7-0 run, closing in to within a half-point deficit at 65-64. The final minutes of the game were marked by a back-and-forth battle, with Mega taking a minimal lead on several occasions. However, in the end, Budućnost managed to regain control of the game through McKinley Wright, winning 73-71. Mega had a shot for the win in the last seconds, but Nikola Topic missed it.
The top scorer for Buducnost was Yoan Makoundou with 18 points, while Uros Plavsic stood out for Mega with 11 points.
Buducnost now holds a 5-0 record and shares the top spot on the table with Crvena Zvezda, while Mega is at 2-3, currently in the eighth position.
In the next round, Buducnost will visit Crvena Zvezda, while Mega will host Zadar at the “Ranko Zeravica” arena.