Śląsk Wrocław loses 75-99 to Budućnost Podgorica in EuroCup opener
Polish basketball club Śląsk Wrocław opened their 2026/27 BKT EuroCup season with a 75-99 home defeat against Montenegrin champions Budućnost Podgorica at Hala Orbita.
Budućnost takes control before halftime
Śląsk Wrocław opened their 2026/27 BKT EuroCup campaign on Wednesday evening with a 75-99 home defeat against Montenegrin champions KK Budućnost Voli Podgorica at Hala Orbita. Both teams struggled offensively in the opening minutes, scoring only four points each across the first four minutes of play. The hosts found their rhythm midway through the first quarter, building a 16-10 lead with just over two minutes remaining and leading 19-15 with 90 seconds on the clock. Budućnost answered with a 7-0 run to take a 22-19 advantage at the end of the opening quarter. The visitors pulled away decisively in the second period by outscoring Śląsk 29-14, with Yogi Ferrell sinking a three-pointer to extend their lead to 33-23. Iverson Molinar closed the half with a two-point basket, sending Budućnost into the locker room ahead 51-33.
- Teams are tied 4-4 after a low-scoring opening stretch
- Śląsk builds a 16-10 advantage late in the first quarter
- Budućnost closes with a 7-0 run to lead 22-19
- Budućnost outscores Śląsk 29-14 in the second quarter to lead 51-33
- Śląsk trims the deficit slightly to 55-68 entering the fourth
- Budućnost ends the match on an 11-0 run to win 99-75
Rebound dominance and Morgan leads the offense
The visitors dominated across all major statistical categories, controlling the boards with 47 rebounds compared to 27 for Śląsk. Budućnost established an early advantage on the glass in the first half, pulling down 21 rebounds to 13 for the hosts. Former Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz forward Juwan Morgan led the visitors with 23 points and six rebounds, converting four of his seven attempts from three-point range in 23 minutes of playing time. Molinar added 15 points, while Anthony Hickey and Malik Parsons paced Śląsk with 14 points each. Devin Robinson contributed 12 points for the Polish side, and Reggie Moore finished with 10 points.
- Juwan Morgan (Budućnost)
- 23 points
- Iverson Molinar (Budućnost)
- 15 points
- Anthony Hickey (Śląsk)
- 14 points
- Malik Parsons (Śląsk)
- 14 points
- Devin Robinson (Śląsk)
- 12 points
- Oleksandr Kovliar (Budućnost)
- 11 points
- Yogi Ferrell (Budućnost)
- 10 points
Second half response falls short
Śląsk coach Danny Franco reorganised his lineup after the break, and the hosts marginally took the third quarter 25-23. Jakub Nizioł hit a three-pointer to make it 37-56, but Dordije Jovanović answered immediately from beyond the arc for the visitors. Śląsk trimmed the deficit to 11 points at 65-76 early in the fourth quarter after a basket from Stefan Djordjević, a former Śląsk player now representing Budućnost. The Montenegrin side closed out the contest with an 11-0 scoring run in the final minutes. The loss leaves Śląsk winless ahead of their second-round fixture on 6 October at 20:00 against Dolomiti Energia Trento in Italy.
You can expect us to fight for every centimeter of the floor.
Club icon returns to the stands
The season opener also marked the return of club icon Maciej Zieliński to the stands at Hala Orbita following a multi-year absence. Zieliński had stayed away from Wrocław's home games since 2021 following a conflict with the club's previous leadership. His return came after discussions with new club president Michał Mazur, who reached out over the summer to resolve the rift.
Towards the end of last season, Piotr Waśniewski and Waldemar Łuczak said during a conversation with Kamil Chanas that they were inviting me to matches, but no specifics followed. Now the new president Michał Mazur contacted me and said he wanted to talk about it. We met, had delicious coffee, and in the end I am returning to the stands.
