Surne Bilbao Basket secured a convincing 74-54 victory against BAXI Manresa at the Bilbao Arena, reclaiming their stance in the league standings and redeeming themselves from their previous defeat in Palencia. This win also leaves the ticket to the Cup winner's position uncertain for the Catalan team.
The resounding loss on home turf puts the potential presence of Manresa in the upcoming February event in Malaga at the mercy of Baskonia's performance in their upcoming match against Real Madrid in Vitoria.
For the 'men in black,' the focus was not solely on the Cup but also on bouncing back from their recent setback against the bottom-ranked team. And they achieved their objective with a cohesive team effort, led by the outstanding performance of Belgian center Thijs de Ridder.
De Ridder showcased his prowess with an impressive double-double, amassing 17 points and 13 rebounds. Adam Smith, who performed close to expectations, added 18 points and 5 assists to bolster Bilbao's attack. Unfortunately for a struggling Manresa, only Marcis Steinbergs, Musa Sagnia, and Martinas Geben managed to reach double figures amidst a day marked by disappointingly poor shooting.
Following a balanced start, Surne Bilbao seized control of the game and embarked on an 11-0 run, propelled by their aggressive interior defense. This surge allowed them to establish a comfortable 20-10 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, prompting Manresa coach Pedro Martínez to call a timeout.
Manresa displayed resilience and closed the gap to 24-23 early in the second quarter, courtesy of a triple by Dani Pérez. However, Bilbao swiftly responded, driven by the energy of Melwin Pantzar, who contributed 9 points and 5 rebounds in the first half to extend the lead once again.
The final ten minutes were mostly uneventful as Bilbao maintained a commanding advantage of +19 (65-46), eventually securing a maximum lead of +20. Both teams struggled to find their rhythm, resulting in a low-scoring quarter with minimal tension.
Match Summary:
Surne Bilbao Basket (22+24+19+9): Pantzar (11), Smith (18), Rabaseda (2), Andersson (3), Killeya-Jones (9) - starting quintet- De Ridder (17), Hlinason (4), Reyes (-), Renfroe (8), and Kullamae (2).
BAXI Manresa (13+21+12+8): Dani Pérez (5), Badio (5), Sagnia (10), Robinson (2), Steinbergs (10) - starting quintet- Taylor (6), Valtonen (-), Geben (10), Williams (4), Dani García (2), Coulibaly (-), and Oriola (-).