Gran Canaria sent a message that echoed all around the 7DAYS EuroCup by downing Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 76-83 in Round 7 in the Montenegrin capital. Gran Canaria, however, has consistently beaten Buducnost in EuroCup action over the years.

Gran Canaria, 5-0 against Buducnost

The Spanish powerhouse beat Buducnost twice, 66-90 in Podgorica and 62-60 at home, in the 2010-11 season. These teams did not face each other until the 2014-15 campaign when Gran Canaria prevailed again, 92-69 at home and 83-88 on the road. Buducnost, however, beat Gran Canaria at home in the 2018-19 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 75-70. Gran Canaria has a 6-1 record against the Montenegrin powerhouse. 

By the numbers: Gran Canaria uses offensive rebounds to win

The guests also shot the ball better from beyond the arc, burying 12 of 24 three-pointers (50.0%). Buducnost struggled from downtown, taking 21 three-point shots and only making 4 for a 21.1% percentage. Gran Canaria also took better care of the ball, finishing the game with twice as many assists (18) as turnovers (9). 

Dylan Ennis 2- Gran Canaria (photo Buducnost) - EC21

Gran Canaria used a great team effort to defeat Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 76-83 on the road in Round 7. Miquel Salvo was one of its main pillars in this important road win.

Salvo is Gran Canaria's X-factor

Salvo finished the game with a career-high 15 points, hitting 4 of 7 shots inside the arc, 2 of 2 from downtown and his only attempt from the foul line. He added 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist and 3 fouls drawn for a personal-best PIR of 16. In his first EuroCup season, Salvo has already scored in double digits three times, getting 12 points in Round 1 against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and 10 against ratiopharm Ulm in Round 6. 

Miquel Salvo - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) - EC21

This is what the protagonists of the game had to say after such a close deal down the stretch.

Post-Game Quotes: Buducnost 76-83 Gran Canaria


### Porfi Fisac, Gran Canaria
"We started the game really well, dominating the rhythm, with great control of the rebounds, but in the third quarter, our percentages gave us the advantage in the scoreboard. In the last quarter, they pushed a lot with their defense and made better decisions on offense in the last minutes."



### Aleksandar Dzikic, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica
"First of all, congrats to our opponents. They won in the end. For us, it was a tough game. In some moments, I think we were close, but they closed the game. We missed open shots, they didn't and that's about it... We have this short rotation and it is what it is, that is our situation. They are a good team, a very good team, and we now go to the next game."



### Miquel Salvo, Gran Canaria
"It was very important for us. We were playing bad in our last games. I think we needed this game at home, now, a lot of victories are coming."


Justin Cobbs - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (photo Buducnost) - EC21

A Round 7 clash between Umana Reyer Venice and Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Group B on Wednesday night will feature a collision in the paint between Mitchell Watt for the hosts and Zach Auguste for the visitors.

Head-to-head: Mitchell Watt vs. Zach Auguste

The two centers are among the most dominant big men in the competition in the past few seasons, and their teams' success greatly depends on their performance and control of the paint.

That is particularly true for Watt, who is a go-to guy and an anchor in the paint for Reyer.

Watt's season averages of 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds lead Reyer. He also has a team-high average PIR of 11.5 and plays more than 23 minutes per game, second on the team.

Watt, who has scored four times in double figures, was dominant in Reyer's two wins. He collected 16 points and 12 rebounds in the season opener on the road against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse and had 25 points and 7 rebounds in a home win over group leader Buducnost VOLI Podgorica.

Auguste has had up-and-down performances this season. He averaged 9.0 points and 7.3 rebounds over the first four rounds, including a double-double in an overtime home loss against ratiopharm Ulm. But he has posted below-par 4.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in the last two rounds, which brought down his season averages.

It is hard to find a big man who shined as much as Auguste did in his two previous EuroCup seasons, with Galatasaray from 2018 to 2020. In 26 appearances with the Turkish club, Auguste has averaged 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Moreover, since making his EuroCup debut in the competition in the 2018-19 campaign, Auguste is the runaway best average rebounder among players with at least 30 appearances, posting 7.0 boards per game. In that four-season stretch, he also ranks fourth with 224 total rebounds.

That's not to say Watt has not been productive. On the contrary, in three seasons since joining Reyer, Watt has averaged at least 12.0 points in each of them. However, his EuroCup debut season with ALBA Berlin in 2015-16 knocks down his career average to 10.4 points and his PIR to 10.6 per game.

Wednesday's game will be the first time that Auguste and Watt go against each other. Establishing inside presence will be of great importance for each team in this highly important clash in which both are looking to bounce back and return to winning ways.

Umana Reyer Venice v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2021-12-15T19:00:00.000Z)

Controlling the pace will be critical in this game.

Keys to victory: Virtus vs. Promitheas

Not only does Virtus Segafredo Bologna lead the EuroCup in scoring this season with 93.3 points per game, but Promitheas Patras is last at 73.2. What’s more, Promitheas is 0-4 this season when the opponent has scored more than 80 points. Virtus has scored at least 80 in every game this season, reached 90 on four occasions and triple digits twice.

One weakness the two teams have shared is rebounding. Virtus has been outrebounded by 4.3 rebounds per game this season and Promitheas by 4.5. They can’t both be outrebounded this week! The team that takes charge of the glass will give itself a nice advantage in this contest.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Promitheas Patras (2021-12-15T19:30:00.000Z)

Michele Ruzzier - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - EC21

Promitheas Patras has relied on athletic combo-guard Kendrick Ray to lead its attack this season.

Marquee matchup: Virtus’s Teodosic vs. Promitheas’s Ray

Ray leads his team in scoring with 14.8 points per game and steals with 1.2 while also averaging 3.2 assists. This week, he will be tested by one of the best players of the past decade in Milos Teodosic of Virtus Segafredo Bologna. An All-EuroCup First Team selection last season, Teodosic leads the competition in assists this season with 7.6 per game and is third on Virtus in scoring with 14.0 points. When they guard each other, Ray has the advantage in speed and athleticism, while Teodosic has size and experience in his favor. It should be a treat to see them square off.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna will look for its first three-game winning streak this season when it hosts Promitheas Patras on Wednesday.

Virtus looks to win third straight game when it hosts Promitheas Patras

Virtus (4-2) enters Round 7 tied for second place in the group after scoring a 1010-104 road win at Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana last week in the Slovenian capital. Marco Belinelli led the way with 21 points on 5-of-10 three-point shooting and Milos Teodosic was 1 assist short of a double-double. Promitheas (2-4) saw its modest two-game winning run snapped last week with a 60-89 home drubbing at the hands of top-ranked Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. Kendrick Ray was a bright spot in the loss with a season-high 22 points. These teams previously met in the regular season two years ago and split home wins.

Marco Belinelli - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - EC21

Partizan NIS Belgrade has outrebounded opponents by an average of 3 rebounds per game this season, but it won’t have it easy against Slask Wroclaw’s frontline featuring Kerem Kanter, Ivan Ramljak and Aleksander Dziewa.

Keys to victory: Partizan vs. Slask

If Zach LeDay, Alen Smailagic and Balsa Koprivica can control the glass, Partizan will have a good chance to keep its winning streak going. Slask’s shooting percentage on two-pointers is 48.1% this season, which is the second-lowest in the EuroCup. Even in its victory last week, Slask shot 14 for 30 on twos (46.7%). To keep up with Partizan’s attack and win in Belgrade, Slask will need to raise those numbers as well as its 30.2% three-point shooting.

Partizan NIS Belgrade v Slask Wroclaw (2021-12-15T19:30:00.000Z)

Aleksa Avramovic - Partizan NIS Belgrade (photo Olivier d'Almeida - Metropolitans) - EC21