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may 03 2026BILBAO. Surne Bilbao Basket defeated Covirán Granada 88-83 in a tightly contested Liga Endesa game marked by fouls, controversial officiating decisions, and a tense finish at Miribilla. The Granada side failed to secure their first road victory and sees mathematical relegation drawing closer after a matchday when their direct rivals for survival also won.
The start of the game was far from brilliant for either team. Covirán Granada began completely off target, accumulating turnovers and enormous difficulty finding comfortable offensive situations. The red-and-blacks took more than three minutes to score their first basket and racked up six turnovers in the first quarter. However, Surne Bilbao Basket also failed to fully capitalize on the visiting team's confusion, in a low-scoring stretch where William Howard was practically the only player capable of generating offensive continuity.
Despite all their problems, Covirán Granada managed to survive the poor start and closed the first quarter by tying the score thanks to a three-pointer at the buzzer by Amar Alibegovic (16-16).
The second quarter allowed the Granada team to react. Surne Bilbao Basket opened a small gap after capitalizing on several consecutive turnovers in the ball movement of Arturo Ruiz's team, reaching 26-20 on the scoreboard. The lack of connection between players like Costa, Valtonen, and Jassel Pérez was heavily punishing the visitors, but the game changed when Amar Alibegovic and Costa found space to score comfortably.
That's when Luka Bozic appeared. The Croatian assumed offensive responsibility for Covirán Granada and began to dominate the game from the free-throw line and in the paint. The small forward scored twelve points in the second quarter and led the visiting comeback before halftime.
The first major officiating controversy came then at Miribilla. The referees initially did not call two free throws in favor of Covirán Granada despite the accumulated bonus for Surne Bilbao Basket, although they eventually corrected the call several plays later. The confusion favored the visitors, who took advantage of that moment to go into halftime with a lead (41-46).
After the break, the game completely fell apart. The third quarter was marked by excessive stoppages and officiating decisions in a stretch where 17 fouls were called and 19 free throws were attempted. The game completely lost its rhythm and the Bilbao Arena became a constant exchange from the free-throw line.
William Howard, Jassel Pérez, Arturo Ruiz, and Martinas Normantas received technical fouls amid an increasingly tense atmosphere on the court. Covirán Granada tried to hold firm despite the chaos of the game and found offensive solutions again thanks to Amar Alibegovic, although Surne Bilbao Basket responded from beyond the arc to close the third quarter ahead (67-65).
The final period became a battle of attrition. Jonathan Rousselle led a 0-5 run that temporarily returned control to Covirán Granada, while Valtonen put the score at 72-74 with a basket that gave hope to the visitors.
However, the game stalled offensively for both teams again. Fouls continued to dictate everything and Covirán Granada began to run out of players. Jassel Pérez was fouled out early in the quarter and Rousselle was also ejected in the decisive minutes.
Surne Bilbao Basket made better use of the final chaos. After several wasted possessions by the Granada team, Pantzar appeared with a crucial three-pointer with just over a minute remaining to put the score at 83-77 and definitively break the game open. Covirán Granada still had chances, including a possession with up to five consecutive shots, but the lack of accuracy ultimately condemned the red-and-blacks.
With this loss, Covirán Granada continues without a road victory and sits on the brink of mathematical relegation in Liga Endesa. Surne Bilbao Basket's triumph reinforces the situation of the Bilbao side, while victories by Andorra and Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos further worsen the classification outlook for the Andalusian team.
