Santiago de Compostela, Feb 4 (EFE).- Monbus Obradoiro delved this Saturday into the game crisis and results of Surne Bilbao Basket (77-64), which collapsed in the third quarter, when his rival hit him with a blunt partial 15-0 that was decisive.
The Bilbao team, which could not finally count on Ludde Hakanson, increased its doubts in Santiago, where it posted another poor performance, the third in a row after being previously overwhelmed by Joventut, in the League, and UCAM Murcia, in the Champions League.
The attacks set the pace of the game in the first quarter. Moving the ball quickly, Obradoiro and Bilbao punished the rival defense. The Galicians, despite the fact that the Canadian Kassius Robertson started on the bench, showed effectiveness from the three-point line; Adam Smith and the inside players led Jaume Ponsarnau’s block.
In the stretch at the end of the first quarter, Obradoiro took a five-point lead after a “3+1” basket from Robertson, but lost it as soon as the second began after failing to score in the first three minutes. His coach, Moncho Fernández, stopped the clash. Bilbao had exploited two counterattacks after childish losses and a basket from Withey to take control of the electronic (25-26).
Both teams had raised their defensive level, and that caused the errors to multiply. Bilbao’s inside game hurt Obradoiro, who was oxygenated by Vicedo with two consecutive three-pointers (39-33). But as had happened at the start of the previous quarter, the Galician advantage vanished in barely a minute after a partial 0-5 start (42-40).
Moncho Fernández held on without calling a timeout, and his team reacted from the three-point line. Vicedo and Philip Scrubb destroyed Bilbao, which was also punished with an unsportsmanlike foul on Radicevic. Santiago’s advantage shot up to 17 points (57-40, min.25), and Ponsarnau was forced to stop the clash after a scandalous 15-0 run.
His team reacted, enjoying an attack to get below the ten-point barrier but Rabaseda’s three-pointer fell short. That was where the clash ended because Obradoiro regained the 17-point lead after a “2+1” by Blazevic and three free throws scored by Westermann (63-46).
Obradoiro relaxed in the last quarter -four points in almost nine minutes-, but their rival, very touched, did not take advantage of it to get closer. He attacked without much judgment, lost the rebound battle and the Galician triumph was never in jeopardy. EFE
– Datasheet:
77 – Monbus Obradoiro (25 +17+28+7): Zurbriggen (8), Thomas Scrubb (3), Philip Scrubb (9), Vicedo (14) and Blazevic (19) -first team- Westermann (3), Álex Suarez, Guerrero (6), Robertson (15) and Muñoz.
64 – Surne Bilbao Basket (20+15+17+12): Smith (14), Radicevic (5), Sulejmanovic (10), Rabaseda (4) and Kyser (8) -starting team- Reyes (9), Ubal, Withey (10), Andersson (2) and Alonso (2).
Referees: Carlos Cortés, Sergio Manuel and Carlos Merino.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the nineteenth day of the Endesa League played at the Multiusos Fontes do Sar in front of some 5,000 spectators.