Augusto Lima Dominates at Vicente Trueba as Fuenlabrada Secures Third Straight Win (80-89)

A cloudy Wednesday in Torrelavega brought a midweek clash in Primera FEB. Grupo Alega Cantabria hosted Flexicar Fuenlabrada at Pabellón Vicente Trueba in matchday 31 of Spain's second-tier basketball league.

Iñaki Martín's squad arrived with two consecutive victories that had been crucial, as the Madrid side had won away against Oviedo and against Leyma Coruña, one of the favorites for direct promotion, at the Fernando Martín.
The Cantabrians came in with a 1-1 record, their last game a loss to HLA Alicante, who took the road victory. Lolo Encinas' team, with a record of 11-17, sit in no man's land in twelfth place, with no playoff hopes and the division already secured.

The game started with Fuenlabrada struggling to score against the imposing "Great Wall" defense of Jiahao Yu. The center's dominance wasn't limited to that end of the court, as he also led the Cantabrians' scoring with plenty of offensive firepower (8 points). Facing Fuenlabrada's poor minutes, which left them down 14-7, Iñaki Martín opted to bring pace and verticality with Prince Ali. The shooting guard turned the quarter around with five points and, after a steal and assist, tied the score (14-14). However, the Madrid team disconnected again in the final minutes, allowing a 9-2 run to close the quarter (23-16).

The second period started with a different Fuenlabrada, who began with a 0-4 run to cut the deficit. It didn't take long for Flexicar Fuenlabrada's momentum to deflate with two consecutive three-pointers from Grupo Alega Cantabria against weak defense from the visiting lineup (29-21). With the entry of DeBisschops, Manchón and Benite, the visiting team's better version returned, and with an 2-11 run they took the lead for the first time in the game (31-32). The hosts kept attacking to maintain parity on the scoreboard in a first half that closed at 46-44.

The second half began with Yu's first missed free throw, following a technical foul on Augusto Lima at the end of the second quarter for confronting the crowd. Following this, the Cantabrian team started with a 5-0 run that was cut short by the affiliate player Bruno Vidarte with a three-pointer (49-47). Then came strong defensive minutes from Flexicar Fuenlabrada, which allowed them to take the lead again, once more with an accurate Prince Ali, who made it 52-56 and reached 12 points on his personal tally. However, Fuenlabrada disconnected again, with Vicente Trueba thundering with chants of "¡Alega, Alega!" (59-58). The period closed at 62-65 with Fuenlabrada recovering the advantage after some excellent minutes from Prince Ali.

The final quarter began with Augusto Lima dominating the paint to add five points that made it 64-73.

Iñaki Martín's team continued punishing the hosts to reach double-digit advantage (68-79), with great minutes from Paul Rigot. Lolo Encinas' squad didn't give up, and in a push led by Miha Lapornik, with two consecutive three-pointers, they tightened the scoreboard (76-81).

Fuenlabrada responded calmly and with good play to open the gap again to 76-87.

An advantage that proved decisive to secure the victory for Iñaki Martín's team, who chain three consecutive wins.

The standout of the game was Augusto Lima, who came close to a double-double with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. Now, Fuenlabrada will return to the Fernando Martín to face Cartagena on Sunday the 26th.