 KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica prevailed over visiting Belgacom Spirou Charleroi 59-55, taking a big step towards securing its place in Last 16. The win gives Buducnost a 3-1 record and a sole possession of second place in Group B, while Charleroi dropped to 0-4 and lost its chance to progress to the next stage. Fueled by 8 points from Milan Milosevic, the hosts made a key 9-0 run in the third quarter to open a 51-41 lead. However, Charleroi allowed only a single field goal over nine minutes of the final quarter to cut it to 53-51 and set up a dramatic ending. The hosts survived, though, thanks to a triple from Aleksa Popovic and clutch free throw shooting from Cedomir Vitkovac. Demarquis Bost led Buducnost with 16 points on 4-for-6 three-point shooting, while Gerald Lee had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Vitkovac contributed with 9 rebounds and 5 assists along with 3 points scored in the final 20 seconds of the game. Jason Fontenet scored 19 points in his debut for Charleroi, while Nikola Jankovic finished with 10 in defeat.
Fontenet and Jankovic each scored a layup each to open the game, and Fontenet added a three-point-play making it 1-7. Buducnost got going with Bost hitting back-to-back-to-back triples for 10-7, and Nikola Ivanovic hit one from downtown as well. Fontenet kept his touch with couple of jumpers, and Charleroi went inside to Jankovic to tie the game at 15-15. After Andre Riddick and Lee traded layups, Jankovic hit a jumper and Amaury Jadin sank a triple as visitors led 20-23 after the first quarter. Jadin hit a triple at the start of the second quarter, but Lee scored 7 points and Bost and Marko Popovic each made a three in a 13-2 run that gave Buducnost a 33-28 lead. Fontenet snapped the hosts’ run with a pair of free throws, Jankovic scored inside and Riddick ended the quarter with a dunk to make it 35-34 at the half.
Bost and Jankovic traded layups to open scoring in the third quarter and Christophe Beghin tied the game at 40-40. Buducnost went up in front again with a triple from Marko Popovic, and after Beghin’s layup-plus-foul, Milosevic hit twice from downtown and added a layup to make it 51-41 at the end of three quarters. The fourth quarter, though, started with both teams struggling to score. Vladimir Mihailovic made a dunk for 53-42, but it was the only field goal in the first seven minutes of the quarter. Je’Kel Foster and Fontenet went 3 for 4 from the charity stripe before Foster made couple of layups and Fontenet scored inside to cut the deficit to 53-51 with 64 seconds to go. The hosts found their shooting touch just in time, though, as Aleksa Popovic hit a three-pointer on ensuing possession, but the game was far from over. After Fontenet hit a jumper, Aleksa Popovic missed both free throws, and Fontenet sank a pair of his for 56-55. However, after Vitkovac kept his cool from the penalty stripe, giving Buducnost a 3-point lead with 19 seconds to go, Fontenet missed a potentially game-tying triple and Vitkovac secured the rebound and split free throws on the other end to seal the win for hosts.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Eurocupbasketball.com
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