By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Tucking in 14/28 from beyond the arc, Lenovo Tenerife lighted up UCAM Murcia, 85-65, to start the Basketball Champions League Round of 16 Tuesday.
Bruno Fitipaldo, an Uruguay regular at the international level, delivered 23 points, a new personal best for the 2022-23 season, his third campaign with the team based in the Canary Islands. The 31-year-old combo guard ended up with 6/7 triples, including four in the first half with the home side establishing a double-digit cushion.
Marcelo Huertas threw in 20 more points in the Gameday 1 opener of Group L of the Round of 16. The third double-digit scoring effort belonged to Jaime Fernandez tallying ten points, including a buzzer-beater three-pointer to end the first quarter in Santiago Martin. Small forward Elgin Cook (knee) stayed on the injury list.
Sito Alonso’s side actually led for just over five minutes but could not hold on in the second period. Montenegrin forward Nemanja Radovic put in half of his team-high 14 points in the last ten minutes and American forward Ryan Luther finished with 13 points. Congolese center Jordan Sakho and American-Azerbaijani guard Jordan Davis were both ruled out.
The reigning defending BCL champions, guided by Txus Vidorreta, were coming off three consecutive domestic wins to improve to 13-4 in Spain’s Liga Endesa. They are currently tied for third, trailing only powerhouses Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Further down the ACB standings, the Universitarios sit at 8-9.
Postgame press conference
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League