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mar 29 2026Asisa Joventut extended its winning streak to six consecutive Liga Endesa victories on Sunday, defeating a resilient Dreamland Gran Canaria (92-84) and boosting morale ahead of the crucial Champions League quarterfinal against Greek side AEK, with uncertainty surrounding Ante Tomic.
The veteran Croatian center, already a doubt for the game due to hamstring issues, aggravated the injury and managed to stay on the court for just two minutes before heading to the locker room.
However, following a 32-15 run after halftime, the green-and-black squad broke down the visitors' resistance thanks to the duo of Cameron Hunt (23 points) and Ricky Rubio (21 points), who set the tempo, and Jabari Parker, who added 14 points and shut down any Gran Canaria comeback attempt.
Despite arriving with clearly opposite momentum, neither team held back and quickly showed their weapons. While the hosts exploited their outside threat with Hunt and Parker as sharpshooters, the island team relied on Metu and his physical superiority over Kraag to stay close on the scoreboard (8-6, min. 4).
Asisa Joventut's interior problems, already dealing with the last-minute absence of Birgander, worsened when Tomic, who arrived at the game with concerns, aggravated his physical issues and barely lasted two minutes on the court before heading to the locker room.
The loss of the green-and-black squad's key paint presence was a psychological blow that Gran Canaria capitalized on. From 14-12, the yellow team put together a 0-12 run, with Pelos acting as a catalyst thanks to his versatility and Metu punishing the interior lanes, to open the first cushion at the start of the second half (14-24).
Aware of their interior weakness, the hosts needed to reconnect with their outside talent. That's when Hunt and Hakanson appeared, taking the team on their backs and, hungry from beyond the arc, led a 17-4 run that restored energy to the Olímpic, somewhat deflated by the holiday dates (31-28, min. 15).
Only Vila seemed to find certainty where the island squad showed doubt. The late flashes of talent from Brussino and Wong, which appeared to give the visitors an advantage heading into halftime, were met with Hunt's final word, who with his weapon drawn nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to leave it 40-39 at the break.
That basket also gave the Penya wings after halftime. Rubio, confident and controlling the game's tempo, strung together nine consecutive points and began to break open the contest. Not even a pause cooled down the Masnou point guard, who continued generating constant advantages against the general stalling of the visitors, who faded without finding answers until the 72-54 that left the game decided heading into the final quarter.
The Penya seemed to give no respite to any visiting comeback attempt (83-67, min. 35). Then Dani Miret decided to rest Hunt and Rubio, already thinking about the Champions League quarterfinal. The hosts grew overconfident seeing the game in hand, and Gran Canaria added spice to the final stretch with a 0-10 run (84-79, min. 38).
Hunt and Rubio returned to the court trying to regain control, but the hosts needed a decisive spark. That came from Parker, who with his quality, combined with a Wong turnover at the worst moment and effectiveness from the free-throw line, sealed the game and secured the green-and-black squad's sixth consecutive league victory with the final 92-84.
Box score:
92 - Asisa Joventut (14+26+32+20): Rubio (21), Hunt (23), Kraag (2), Parker (14), Ruzic (5), -starting five-, Drell (6), Hakanson (12), Torres (-), Allen (6), Mauri (-), Tomic (-) and Hanga (3).
84 - Dreamland Gran Canaria (22+17+15+30): Albicy (2), Wong (19), Brussino (17), Metu (13), Kuath (4), -starting five-, Maniema (-), Vila (7), Samar (5), Alocén (-), Pelos (17), Miteo (-) and Robertson (-).
