Details prevent BAXI Manresa from surprising in Vitoria
The third quarter's performance and the quality of the individual players ultimately tipped the game in favor of the Basques. Alston Jr. and Saint-Supéry were the standouts of the Bages team.
90 Baskonia I Forrest 13, Howard 27, Luwawu-Cabarrot 4, Sedekerskis 10, Diop 5; Raieste, Jaramaz 7, Rogkavopoulos 12, Hall 4, Moneke 6, Samanic 2
84 BAXI Manresa I Saint-Supéry 17, Obasohan 4, Jou 2, Alston Jr. 22, Cate 8; Vescovi 7, Reyes 8, Massa, Steinbergs 8, Sorolla 2, Dani Pérez 6
Partials: 21-20, 20-29, 28-15, 21-20
BAXI Manresa couldn't take the win from the tough home court of a Euroleague team like Baskonia (90-84). Bages's team had a great first half, but a poor third quarter ultimately condemned them.
The first few minutes of the match were very even, with both teams trading leads on the scoreboard. Both Howard and Alston Jr. led their teams, but were unable to open a gap. At the end of the first quarter, the Basques were winning by the minimum score (21-20).
In the second period, the visitors took control of the scoreboard and consistently held small leads. Five consecutive points from Alston Jr., who was still in great form, put his team eight points up at halftime (41-49).
After the break, Pablo Laso's team came out strongly and quickly came back (55-54). Moments of even timing followed, and then Vitoria's team stepped up again, closing out the third quarter with a five-point lead (69-64).
In the final ten minutes, Diego Ocampo's team quickly tied the score, but a new run of scoring allowed the home team to take a ten-point lead (81-71). However, the Manresa team, led by Saint-Supéry, made their opponents sweat until the end.
On Tuesday, starting at 8:00 PM, BAXI Manresa will play the final game of the Basketball Champions League Top 16 on the challenging court of La Laguna Tenerife.