BAXI Manresa beats Hiopos Lleida in the first round of the Catalan League.
The Bages team opened up a gap in the second half and resisted the Lleida team's final comeback attempt.
90 Hiopos Lleida I Zoriks 5, Agada 21, Sanz 8, Shurna and Goloman; Batemon 22, Walden 3, Ejim 10, Paulí 8, Diagne 3, Jiménez 8 and Krutwig 2
95 BAXI Manresa I Benitez 5, Plummer 14, Knudsen 7, Steinbergs 8 and Golden 10; Akobundu-Ehiogu 8, Reyes 22, Ubal 6, Obasohan 5, Izaw-Bolavie and Dani Pérez 10
Partials: 27-20, 20-27, 16-29, 27-19
BAXI Manresa added its first victory in the Catalan League after beating Hiopos Lleida in Tarragona (90-95).
Diego Ocampo's players scored the first five points of the game, but Lleida quickly turned the score around with a 12-0 run. From then on, Gerard Encuentra's men consistently dominated, closing out the first quarter with a seven-point lead (27-20).
In the second period, Bages's team came out strong, turned the score around, and, thanks to Reyes' inspiration, enjoyed a five-point lead (40-45). However, Lleida managed to tie the match at halftime (47-47).
Coming out of the locker room, after a few moments of low scoring, Lleida were far superior on offense and opened up a gap on the scoreboard. A three-pointer from Dani Pérez at the buzzer gave Ocampo's team a thirteen-point lead (63-76).
In the final ten minutes, Gerard Encuentra's team did not give up, closing the gap to just five points (82-87). However, Bages's team showed solid form, resisting their opponent's comeback attempt and securing their first win in the Catalan League.
On Friday, starting at 6:30 PM, BAXI Manresa will play the second group stage match against Bàsquet Girona.