By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Behind 23 points and many clutch plays by Marcelinho Huertas, Iberostar Tenerife won the 2020 FIBA Intercontinental Cup by beating Virtus Bologna 80-72.
Giorgi Shermadini added 18 points and seven rebounds as the hosts of the Final Four survived a tough fight.
With four minutes left in the game, Virtus was trailing by three points (70-67) as Milos Teodosic was leading the comeback of Bologna with 15 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. However, Tenerife held on and got a 76-67 lead after a three by Huertas to finish the game the right way.
Marcelinho scored just three points in the first half but was a one-man offense in the second and was named the Final MVP.
This is the second Intercontinental Cup for Tenerife after the triumph of 2017.
“This means a lot for me and the club and we are making noise via the Intercontinental Cup and the Basketball Champions League”, the Brazilian guard said after the game. “I am trying to play the game the right way and the shots I missed in the first half, went in during the second”.
In the third-place game, San Lorenzo de Almagro from Argentina beat the Rio Grande Valley Vipers from the G-League (96-90).
Photo credit: FIBA