The German side scored 47 second-half points to come away with the win.
Ulm steps up after the break to down Buducnost, 84-67



ratiopharm Ulm clinched its fifth win in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season after defeating the visiting Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 84-67 at ratiopharm arena on Tuesday night. The game was tied at halftime, 37-37, but Ulm gave up only 2 field goals and 11 points in the third quarter, building a double-digit advantage that grew to 18 points, 75-57, entering crunch time.
Trevion Williams posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead Ulm, which improved to 5-2. Dakota Mathias followed with 13 points, as Juan Nunez and Phillipp Herkenhoff scored 12 apiece. LJ Figueroa and Karim Jallow also netted 11 and 10, respectively, for the winners. Buducnost was paced by Yoan Makoundou, who was the game’s top scorer with 17 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Brandon Paul, who was honored before the game by his former team, finished with 14 points in a losing effort. Buducnost slipped to 2-5 after suffering its fourth loss in a row.
A three-point contest won by Ulm
Paul opened fire with a three-pointer on his return to the ratiopharm arena, starting a nice offensive exchange between both teams that turned into a 9-7 edge for the home side in the early going. Paul showed up again from downtown and Makoundou improved to 8 points in the game to make it 9-14 soon after. Williams came to the rescue with back-to-back treys that got Ulm within 15-16, and even though Paul remained red-hot from behind the arc, the hosts managed to close to the first period leading 23-19 with an 8-0 run behind triples by Herkenhoff and Mathias.
Defenses took over
The scoring slowed down at the beginning of the second period. Vladimir Mihailovic brought Buducnost within 23-22 with a long three-pointer, but those were the only points for the guests in the next 3 minutes. Ulm wasn’t much better on offense, but it found its sixth and seventh three-pointers of the night coming from Nunez and Williams, good for a 31-24 margin after 15 minutes. Buducnost shifted its focus by starting feeding Jacorey Williams and Makoundou inside, and it turned into a 0-6 run that made it a one-possession game once again, 31-30. Buducnost completed the comeback when Fletcher Magee sunk a three to put the guests ahead, 34-36, although Pacome Dadiet responded quickly from deep to finish a 5-minute field-goal drought for Ulm and make it all square, 37-37, at halftime.
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Ulm took a double-digit lead
The trend didn’t change much after the break, as baskets were few and far between. Nunez scored a tough one-legged jumper and Jones responded with a couple of free throws to keep the tie at 39-39 after 23 minutes. Williams scored inside and Jallow hit a corner three to give Ulm some momentum and establish a 44-39 edge that forced a Buducnost timeout. It didn’t work as expected, though, as the visitors’ struggles on offense continued. Herkenhoff took the reins with a couple of free throws and a triple to provide Ulm with its first double-digit lead, 51-41. Buducnost needed 7 minutes to hit its first field goal in the quarter, which finally came thanks to Magee, but it didn’t help the visitors shift the momentum. Then, 5 points in a row by Mathias closed the third period with a game-high 11-point difference, 59-48, for Ulm.
Buducnost tried, Ulm responded
Makoundou gave Buducnost hope, scoring the first bucket of the last period and igniting a 2-9 run that got the visitors back into the game, 61-57. But, Dadiet stopped the rally with a free throw, as Ulm stuck to its defense to prevent Buducnost to complete the comeback. Jallow took the reins to score two challenged buckets that gave the hosts breathing room, 66-57, and put the guests on the ropes with less than 5 minutes to go. Buducnost head coach Vladimir Todorovic tried to revitalize his team for the last time with a timeout, but a pair of treys by Williams and a three-point play by Jallow capped a 14-0 run that effectively sealed the outcome, 75-57, entering crunch time.