Sports writing, Jan 21 (EFE)
The locals had nine consecutive defeats, a losing streak that buried them at the bottom of the table. That is why winning was almost an obligation against a rival who was rushing their last chances, very remote, to enter the Copa del Rey.
Contrary to what had happened in recent clashes, the host appeared focused to avoid falling behind in scoring during the initial stretch. Thus, he matched Murcia’s first seven points, five of them from Trice, and from there he built an 8-0 run that helped him comfortably navigate the first quarter.
Much had to do with it the good performance of Prince Ali. The player from Covirán Granada, who made his debut before his fans with the Fuenlabreña shirt, finished the initial ten minutes scoring 13 of his team’s 23 points.
The nine rentals that José Luis Pichel’s men had in that section of the game kept them during the first half of the second quarter, making use of great performance on the rebound to the point of doubling UCAM in that section.
Overshadowed by the visitors, without finding solutions in their shots, victims of 1 of 10 in triples and 50% in free kicks, only the numerous losses of Fuenlabrada and the greater effectiveness in the inside game gave life to the rest.
The difference between the two teams was destroyed with a stroke of the pen by UCAM around the locker room, balancing the contest thanks to a 2-9 partial. The answer came with a 5-0, isolated partial against a plugged-in Murcian team that went four up with two consecutive three-pointers from Trice.
It was an advantage that did not last long, because at that point the duel was already equal and at the mercy of a moment of inspiration to break definitively. With 55-56 at the end of the third quarter, everything was postponed until the final one.
He started this one with quality baskets on both boards. Several carried the signature of McFadden, which worked as a catalyst for his team to place them six points ahead, the penultimate step to certify the victory.
Once the adversities that Sito Alonso’s men had had throughout the match had been overcome, they conspired not to waste the work they had done against a desperate Fuenlabrada who was deflating between gestures of annoyance from some of their players on the bench.
– Datasheet:
72 – Carplus Fuenlabrada (23+15+17+17): Novak (11), Caroline (10), Kromah (14), Ali (22), Okouo (5) – five starters – Macoha (2), Juan Fernandez (2). 3), Hannah (3), Eyenga (2), Marc Garcia (-), Samar (-), Lewis (-).
88 – UCAM Murcia (14+17+25+32): Trice (19), Davis (4), Radovic (8), Pustovyi (-), Anderson (4) -five starters- Diop (9), Jelinek (8). Luther (2), Rojas (2), Sakho (7).
Referees: Daniel Hierrezuelo, Juan de Dios Oyón and Roberto Lucas. no deleted
Incidents: Match corresponding to day 17 of the Endesa League played in the Fernando Martín de Fuenlabrada Pavilion in front of 3,000 spectators. A minute of silence was observed in memory of José Luis Mendoza, president and founder of the UCAM.