Surne Bilbao Basket claimed the inaugural Coliseum Tournament title by defeating Leyma Básquet Coruña 90-96 in the final held in Burgos. Jaume Ponsarnau's team overcame a nine-point halftime deficit with a dominant second half performance.
An hour of orange dominance
Leyma took the initiative from the start. A solid first quarter, driven by Lukas Uleckas's accuracy, left the score at 23-16, and the second was a constant back-and-forth that ended 30-28 in favor of the Coruña side.
George Conditt IV's interior dominance was key here, the leading scorer at halftime with 12 points, which allowed them to contain Bilbao's response from Harald Frey and Martin Krampelj, with 10 each. Carles Marco's team went into the locker room with the lead.
And a second half that changed everything
Bilbao reacted with authority after the break and completely neutralized the advantage: 70-70 at the end of the third quarter, after winning that period 17-26.
The fourth was more of the same. With a 20-26 run and, above all, with three-point shooting that ended up leaving fourteen made threes for the team, the Basque side definitively tipped the scales.
Nate Darling was the leading scorer with 18 points, followed by Darrun Hilliard (17) and Harald Frey (15). For Leyma, Conditt finished with 16, and Jorgensen and Uleckas each added 13.
What both teams take away
For Bilbao, this is their third summer victory in as many games, after beating Alega Cantabria in Laredo and San Pablo Burgos on Friday in that same venue. And the pattern repeats: balanced scoring distribution and high volume from three-point range.
For Leyma, it's their first setback after winning the Galicia Cup last Sunday against Breogán. The positive note is that Conditt and Skapintsev, who missed the Palencia friendly, are already performing well.
Both teams, moreover, will face each other very soon in official competition: Leyma hosts Surne Bilbao in the second matchday of the Liga Endesa, Sunday, October 4 at 12:00, in the first game EITB will broadcast in open signal this season.