Zaragoza, May 13 (EFE).- Girona beat Casademont Zaragoza at home after two extensions (88-95) and certified their permanence in the ACB, which will mean that the last league match they will play on their court against Cazoo Baskonia will be a party.
Aito García Reneses’s team broke the streak of three consecutive defeats that they had accumulated at the best possible moment because the victory saved them from relegation in a mathematical way without having to be aware of other results.
The Catalan team suffered to take the victory in the Aragonese capital in a match in which their need was stronger than the desire of Casademont Zaragoza to say goodbye to their fans with a win.
The Aragonese team began the match with more success than their rival, soon took off on the scoreboard and reached a difference of up to 8 points on several occasions, although as the minutes went by the visiting defense worked better.
Casademont had more trouble scoring, to the point that in the last four and a half minutes they only managed two points, which allowed Girona to adjust the score at the end of the first quarter (17-15).
Aíto’s team took advantage of the fact that Casademont Zaragoza continued to be confused at the start of the second set and very unsuccessful in the three-pointers (he reached the break with one scored from 15 attempts) to turn the score around and have up to four rental points (27 -31, m.16), although at halftime Porfirio Fisac’s men were ahead (35-33).
Girona once again took the lead, Casademont responded and took the lead again. There was a three-point duel between both teams that ended with the visitors entering the last ten minutes two points up (55-57).
Two triples by John Jenkins and a basket of two by Máximo Fjellerup in a minute and a half at the beginning of the last quarter sent Girona to its maximum lead of the game (55-65), but the locals reacted with an 8-0 lead in two minutes and half with Howard Sant-Roos as a stiletto who tightened the score again (68-67).
In a very intense final stretch, Girona once again took the lead, but a three-pointer from Stefan Jovic with 27 seconds remaining sent the game into extra time, as the Catalan team missed their last possession.
In extra time there was another alternation on the scoreboard and the Maño team managed to tie with three tenths to go with two free throws scored by Tryggvi Hlinason.
The good start of the second overtime by Aito’s team was decisive, since they were up six points (85-91) in two minutes and Casademont Zaragoza could not respond.
– Datasheet:
88 – Casademont Zaragoza (17+18+20+21+8+4): Jovic (13), Sant-Roos (21), Yusta (11), Simanic (4), Hlinason (7) -starting five- Wright ( 4), Langarita (2), Jessup (12), Radoncic (2), Mekowulu (10) and Cruz (2).
95 – Girona (15+18+24+19+8+11): Colom (13), Garino (-), Jenkins (20), Prkacin (4), Sorolla (11) – starting five – Fjellerup (5), Vila (7), Taylor (13), Miletic (2), Hill (9) and Marc Gasol (11).
Referees: Miguel Angel Pérez Pérez, Joaquín García and Carlos Merino. They excluded Marc Gasol (m.40) and Yusta (m.47) for personal reasons.
Incidents: match corresponding to the penultimate day played in the Príncipe Felipe de Zaragoza pavilion before 7,499 spectators.