BAXI Manresa achieves victory, average and permanence in Girona
The team's consistency and a spectacular comeback in the final minutes gave Bages a triple joy. Bassas, Ubal, Duke Jr. and Oriola, the most outstanding.
74 Bàsquet Girona I Livingston 15, Needham 8, Busquets 4, Martínez and Geben 7; Hildreth 11, Hughes 11, Ferrando, Vildoza 6, Karnik 1, Maric 3 and Susinskas 8
79 BAXI Manresa I Dani Pérez 2, Obasohan 8, Reyes 6, Knudsen and Akobundu-Ehiogu 4; Duke Jr. 12, Bassas 21, Ubal 15, Steinbergs and Oriola 11
Quarter Scores: 22-15, 21-17, 12-16, 19-31
BAXI Manresa secured an important victory, their thirteenth of the season in the Liga Endesa, on the challenging court of Bàsquet Girona, in a Catalan derby where they trailed from the start but rallied thanks to a strong finish (74-79).
Diego Ocampo's men got off to a good start, with an initial 2-6 run, but the home team quickly responded and opened up an eight-point lead (21-13). At the end of the first quarter, Girona was in control and leading by seven points against a struggling Manresa side (22-15).
In the second quarter, Moncho Fernández's players got off to a strong start, scoring ten consecutive points and building a maximum lead of fourteen points (32-18). The home team dominated the game throughout and went into halftime with an eleven-point advantage (43-32).
After the break, the defenses clearly prevailed over the offenses, and Bàsquet Girona continued to lead. However, the visitors managed to narrow the gap and close the third quarter just seven points behind (55-48).
In the final ten minutes, it seemed the home team had the game under control, but Manresa never stopped fighting and put together a great final stretch, allowing them to turn the game around and secure the victory.
On Saturday at 9:00 PM, BAXI Manresa will play Casademont Zaragoza at the Nou Congost arena.