Asisa Joventut Begins to Worry, Loses to Surne Bilbao (78-81)

The matchup between Joventut and Bilbao Basket was marked by runs from both sides throughout much of the 40 minutes, keeping it competitive deep into the final quarter. The Catalans came close to erasing a 12-point deficit built by Surne early in the fourth period, but the gap proved too much to overcome. After a strong Supercopa, Penya has started the domestic league well below expectations in terms of results (2-4), and more concerning, with inconsistency on the court that could become problematic if not corrected. Hlinason was the game's most valuable player.

The game started with the crowd at the Olímpic showing their displeasure with several officiating decisions and a somewhat tense atmosphere. A situation that, for now, is favoring Bilbao Basket's interests, who are finding their best supporter in Hillard. Laprovittola, after taking the floor, adds an important three-pointer to prevent the Basque side from opening up an early lead. An exchange of baskets follows that allows Ponsarnau's team to maintain the lead on the scoreboard (13-16, min. 5). Frey and Font add consecutive three-pointers, while Joventut is finding greater difficulty scoring. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Cheatham closes the quarter.

Good stretches from Rubio at the start of a second quarter marked by many mistakes from both teams and the dominance of defense. Laprovittola adds a three to put his team ahead momentarily (33-31, min. 15). The Argentine point guard is one of the few men finding success offensively in this stretch, in which basketball hasn't particularly shined.

Cheatham opens the second half scoring from beyond the arc and, in a subsequent play, Torres dunks on a coast-to-coast, extends the lead to double digits and forces a timeout from Surne Bilbao Basket's coach. However, the men in black today in white take advantage of a lapse from the green-and-blacks to cut the deficit; two three-pointers from Petrasek and another from Darling contribute to this (56-53, min. 25). Now it's Miret who is forced to call a timeout. A three-pointer from Ricky prevents the Basque side from entering the final quarter with nearly 10 points; the keys: a standout performance from Hlinason but, above all, a great collective contribution from the team.

If Ricky's three-pointer had come as a relief, Normantas adds a pair from beyond the arc, and the visiting lead rises to 12 points. However, Asisa doesn't give up and, deploying good defense, manages to get closer on the scoreboard (68-73, min. 35). Despite the Catalans' determination and the numerous mistakes from Ponsarnau's men, the minutes keep passing and they fail to turn the game around. Finally, the victory travels to Bilbao and Joventut begins to worry.

BOX SCORE

Asisa Joventut 78: Rubio (13), Niebla (3), Torres (7), Sulejmanovic (2), Ndiaye (5)- starting five- Kraag (-), Laprovittola (22), Reyes (6), Radicevic (-), Nogués (-), Birgander (9) and Cheatham (11).

Surne Bilbao Basket 81: Somogy (4), Darling (7), Hillard (17), Vautier (7), Petrasek (12)- starting five- Normantas (6), Frey (7), Duscak (-), Ansorregi (5), Hustak (-), Font (3) and Hlinason (13).

Quarters: 23-27, 21-11, 17-29, 17-14.

Referees: Perea, Martín, Caballero, Lezcano.

Notes: Game from Matchday 6 of the Liga Endesa played at the Olímpic in Badalona before 7,568 spectators. Rubio and Sulejmanovic were ejected for personal fouls.