By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Clinching a berth in the Quarterfinals of the Basketball Champions League, Lenovo Tenerife escaped with the win, 74-72, over Surne Bilbao as Txus Vidorreta became the first head coach with 100 BCL games Tuesday.
Driving in the game-winning bucket with less than one second left on the clock, Jaime Fernandez lifted the defending champions to 4-0 in Group L, despite previously trailing by a margin of 13 points in the Gameday 4 contest of the Round of 16. Those were the only two points all night for the 29-year-old point guard, EuroBasket champion with Spain last summer.
Leading the recently crowned FIBA Intercontinental Cup champions, Marcelo Huertas scored six of his team-high 16 points in the fourth period. The Brazilian international added seven assists, five rebounds, and one steal over 28 minutes in Bilbao Arena.
After putting up 22 points in the reverse fixture of the double-legged round-robin schedule, Giorgi Shermadini went for 14 points. The Georgian center banked in ten of his points after the break. Bruno Fitipaldo chipped in 11 more points.
In his BCL debut, Leandro Bolmaro recorded all of his eight points in the second half. Joan Sastre stayed on the injury list. Tenerife fell into a 13-point hole but recovered to jump to 4-0 in the four-team group, earning the win on the special occasion for Vidorreta in his hometown Bilbao.
Adam Smith with 19 points led all scorers but fell short of the win. With plenty of players dealing with injuries, including Ludvig Hakanson who was limited to three points and 1/6 shots in 23 minutes, Denzel Andersson (back) was ruled out joining Andrew Goudelock, Jeff Withey, and Tomeu Rigo on the sidelines.
Facing more adversity, Jaume Ponsarnau’s side stormed back from a sluggish start and a 14-point deficit. Struggling to register points down the stretch cleared the path for the late comeback. The loss shaped a 1-3 record, good enough for a tie with Darussafaka Lassa in third place. ACB rival UCAM Murcia sits at 2-2.
Postgame press conference
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League