BAXI Manresa's comeback and victory in Germany
Diego Ocampo's men have a 3-1 record in the BCL, in a match in which they had to work hard after an irregular start. Alston Jr. and Reyes, the most outstanding players of the Bages team.
78 NINERS Chemnitz I Uguak 5, Garrett 6, Christmas 19, Lansdowne 7 and Nkamhoua 10; Richter 9, Bailey Jr. 13, Edigin 5 and Tischler 4
89 BAXI Manresa I Dani Pérez 6, Hunt 13, Reyes 15, Steinbergs 2 and Massa 10; Jou, Sagnia 3, Saint-Supéry 6, Alston Jr. 16, Obasohan 8, Brimah 3 and Cate 7
Partials: 22-9, 17-31, 28-29, 11-20
BAXI Manresa got its first victory away from Nou Congost on the court of NINERS Chemnitz (78-89). The Bages team recovered from a bad first quarter and finished off its rival in the last. With this result, Diego Ocampo's team takes an almost definitive step towards finishing among the top two in Group G of the BCL.
The start of the match was tough, physical and with little success on the part of the reds. This meant that the Germans dominated throughout the first quarter and obtained a thirteen-point lead at the end of it (22-9).
In the second, the visitors reacted and nailed a 0-6 run, which forced the local coach to stop the match (22-15). However, the team from Manresa continued to reduce the gap little by little, and two free throws scored by Alston Jr. put them ahead at half-time (39-40).
Coming back from the locker room, the team from Bages always had control of the scoreboard and enjoyed a ten-point lead thanks to a three-pointer from Dani Pérez (53-63). But the locals cut back mainly from the free throw line and tied the score again before a basket from Hunt closed the third quarter (67-69).
In the last ten minutes, a 2-17 run paved the way for victory for the Reds, who then knew how to control their rival to add their third victory in the Basketball Champions League.
On Saturday at 20:45 BAXI Manresa will visit the difficult court of La Laguna Tenerife of the ex-Manresa player Lluís Costa.