BAXI Manresa obtains a very valuable victory in Bilbao
The team from Manresa adds eleven to the Endesa League and gets closer to their goals. Oriola (15p, 4r, 3ass), Reyes (15p and 4r) and Brooks (15p, 4r, 3ass), standouts in Miribilla.
80 Surne Bilbao I Pantzar 12, Jaworski 8, Lazarevic 2, Petrasek 12 and Hlinason 10; Normantas 3, Frey 20, Krampelj 5, Bagayoko 3, Sylla and Font 5
84 BAXI Manresa I Brooks 15, Duke Jr. 6, Reyes 15, Knudsen 4 and Akobundu-Ehiogu 2; Bassas, Ubal 14, Steinbergs 3, Olinde 10, Paulicap, Oriola 15, and Dani Pérez
Quarter Scores: 17-19, 19-20, 21-22, 23-23
BAXI Manresa earned a well-deserved victory on the challenging court of one of the Liga Endesa's surprise teams, Surne Bilbao, in a game they dominated for most of the time and closed out in the final stretch (80-84).
After a tentative start with low scoring, Diego Ocampo's players got off to a good start and took control of the scoreboard. The visitors built a seven-point lead (11-18), but the Basque team narrowed the gap at the end of the first quarter (17-19).
In the second quarter, Jaume Ponsarnau's men turned the game around thanks to their outside shooting (31-28), but Manresa responded immediately and regained the lead (31-35). At halftime, the Bages team held a three-point advantage (36-39).
Coming out of the locker room, the visitors, playing with great cohesion, continued to dominate and extended their lead to seven points (46-53). Surne Bilbao then rallied (56-55), but their run was short-lived, as Ocampo's team finished the third quarter with a four-point advantage (57-61).
In the final ten minutes, Manresa pulled ahead by eight points (63-71), but the Basque team wasn't finished and entered the final stretch trailing by just one point (80-81). In the final stretch, the home team missed their three-point attempts, and the Bages team sealed the victory from the free-throw line.
On Sunday from 5:00 PM, BAXI Manresa will host Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos at the Nou Congost.