By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Ludde Hakanson and Pako Cruz dropped 16 points each with the latter also adding 6 assists and 5 rebounds as Fuenlabrada grabbed its first EuroCup Top 16 victory by downing Gran Canaria 85 – 75 in the Spanish showdown.
The team from Las Palmas completed the first stage of the competition with a 7 – 1 record but has now faced its second defeat in an equal number of Top 16 games, despite 21 points (2/5 two-pointers, 5/12 from downtown) by Kyle Kuric.
And it all happened mainly thanks to the Power-D that Fuenlabrada players implemented during the second half. The hosts were trailing 49 – 52 at halftime but then forced their opponents to 12 points in the third quarter while answering with 23!
They kept the same intensity in the fourth period where they held a lead around double-digit numbers until the end. Gran Canaria never found a balance in its offensive game, finishing the match shooting almost the same two-point shots as three-pointers (33 vs 32). Something which got them nowhere since they had 29% in their attempts beyond the arc.
Rolands Smits added 15 and Ian O’Leary 14 for Fuenlabrada while Bo McCalebb (11 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds) was the only player apart from Kuric to stand out from the losing side.