On April 5, 2022, the Buducnost Voli basketball team defeated Bursa (89:86) away in the 18th round of the Eurocup. It was a dramatic match for the best possible position before the playoffs - the home team missed three-pointers in overtime twice, Onuralp Bitim was inaccurate both times, and the "blues" ultimately maintained their advantage, won fifth place in the group and lost to Andorra in the round of 16 (74:64).
After that, in the 2022/2023 season, the team from Podgorica lost both times in the group to Turk Telekom, who was an insurmountable obstacle for the "blues" in the group later in the season.
Last season, the Montenegrin champion was in a group with Besiktas and Istanbul Bahcesehir - even then, Buducnost failed to triumph in the duels with Turkish teams, and then in the round of 16 they again ran into Turk Telekom, who eliminated the "blues" from further competition.
Turk Telekom is still an unsolvable enigma for Budućnost, as they also won in the first match of this season (79:72), but after three years and 10 consecutive defeats against Turkish teams, the "blues" finally celebrated - two nights ago, in a great atmosphere at the "M:tel Morača Hall", Besiktas fell (82:79). Budućnost, thanks to better defense in the second half, but also thanks to Džuvan Morgan and Rašid Sulajmon, knocked out one of the favorites to win the Eurocup, and after six rounds they are in a tie for second place, precisely with the Turkish teams: Besiktas and Turk Telekom, but also Ulm.
"The team believed in me, and I believed in them. I'm always there for what the team needs - we believed, we were aggressive on the rebound, on defense, we did everything we agreed to. The team spirit was exceptional, that's what makes this team special. We just have to keep going like this," said one of the heroes of the victory, Džuvan Morgan, who finished the match with 12 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. The winger, who had problems with injuries last season, is playing great at the beginning of this one, and after an excellent match against Litkabelis, he continued in the same rhythm against Besiktas.
The Turkish team opened the game with excellent shooting, hitting seven three-pointers out of nine attempts in the first 12 minutes, but the "blues" then played better defensively, and Besiktas was only accurate once out of seven attempts from outside the 6,75 line by the end of the first half.
"I congratulate the players on their very good approach, focus and victory. In the second half, we played better in defense - we were solid, aggressive. There were mistakes, but that's normal - part of the game. I'm satisfied with the desire, the fight... All of that was at a high level. This victory is also important for our confidence," said coach Andrej Žakelj.
Žakelj decided to start the match in the first five with Andrija Slavković, who has not had much playing time this season, and previously played in only three games in all competitions. Žakelj probably wanted Slavković to improve the defense, and the Montenegrin international ultimately justified his trust. Slavković was good, and in the finish he made an excellent save and prevented Anthony Brown from bringing overtime to Besiktas.
And Sulajmon also played a great game, probably the best this season. The American guard was the hero in the end, as he scored 38,6 seconds into the game for 81:79, and then made one of two free throws, setting the final score for the "blues"' sixth consecutive victory.
"We don't count consecutive wins - I'm interested in progress in the game, approach and energy. It's getting better and better in every game. Not every game can be played at the same level, because traveling takes energy, but I think we've improved in terms of aggressiveness. And we still have reserves in the game," Žakelj explained.
Buducnost defeated one of the favorites to win the Eurocup, with a score of 4-2, and will visit Chemnitz in the next round, before that they will face Red Star Belgrade in the ABA League (Saturday, 20th).
"In terms of play and everything, two Turkish teams are a little ahead of everyone else - Besiktas and Bahcesehir. Far from it, we are not good, we certainly have a good team and, as always, high expectations, but I don't want to talk about budgets. The other teams are also playing great, the Eurocup is very even and I can't single out two or three teams, because there are certainly seven or eight that can win the cup," said Žakelj.
The atmosphere in the “Mtel Morača Hall” was under special scrutiny in light of recent events, related to the visit of the team from Turkey. The audience passed the test, just like the entire club.
"Thanks to the fans, they were great, they created a great atmosphere," concluded Žakelj.
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