By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Clutch defense handed BAXI Manresa the narrow win, 85-83, against Lenovo Tenerife in Pavello Nou Congost Wednesday.
Stopping Georgian center Giorgi Shermadini in the paint was the decider in the dying seconds of Game 2 between the ACB rivals and last season’s Basketball Champions League finalists. Tying the Quarterfinals best-of-three series at 1-1 forced a deciding Game 3 to be played next Wednesday in Santiago Martin.
Devin Robinson and Brancou Badio shared a team-high 16 points against the defending BCL champions. Neither was part of the team falling short versus the Canary Islands outfit in the championship game of the 2022 Final Four but would love to get revenge for the Catalonia outfit and enter this season’s Final Four. Martinas Geben sat out with an illness for the team guided by Pedro Martinez.
Txus Vidorreta’s side led for almost 24 minutes but was reduced to catchup mode for the last five minutes of Game 2. Trailing by a margin of five points with just over one minute left, Marcelo Huertas sinking a three-pointer and a stop on the opposite end of the court gave hope but to no avail.
Huertas ended up with a game-high 19 points. Shermadini and Bruno Fitipaldo logged 17 points apiece. Sasu Salin, Leandro Bolmaro and Jaime Fernandez were all ruled out due to recent injuries, and newcomer Dakota Mathias is not eligible for continental action. However, Joan Sastre recovered from injury and recorded two points and two rebounds lasting 15 minutes in his first appearance since early February.
Postgame press conference
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League