Flexicar Fuenlabrada held on in a game filled with tension, controversy and emotion to defeat Súper Agropal Palencia 77-72 and force a fifth game in the series.
The fourth game of the series started with Fuenlabrada very focused on both defense and offense. Iñaki Martín's team, led by strong performances from Prince Ali and Jonathan Kasibabu, built a comfortable 10-2 lead. With the points in their favor, the home team relaxed and Palencia took advantage to turn the quarter around. Flexicar Fuenlabrada struggled in the final moments of the first half and began playing too fast on offense, generating many missed shots (13-16).
Poor decision-making on offense continued into the second quarter and Palencia built a double-digit lead. The home team was struggling to secure defensive rebounds and protect the ball (22-36). Fernando Martín fell silent with low assist numbers after a hard collision between Adam Kunkel and Jonathan Kasibabu that left both players on the floor for several minutes. Both players were able to recover, but there was genuine concern for their well-being and questions arose about the level of contact allowed by the referees. The concern in the arena was short-lived as the home team recovered and got back into the game with strong minutes from Prince Ali. The American was being a difference-maker in the series, unclogging the team's offense and very attentive on defense covering passing lanes. With this, Flexicar Fuenlabrada's players went to halftime in better spirits (34-38).
The second half brought an omnipresent Kasibabu to the court. The power forward was dominant on defense with several blocks and very accurate on offense. The game heated up with a scuffle between Alex Renfroe and Alec Wintering. The referees' decision in favor of Palencia was heavily criticized by the home crowd. Wintering caught fire and gave his team the rhythm of the game supported by their traveling fans (46-54). Fuenlabrada recovered with a late run. Despite this, they remained behind on the scoreboard with a foul that gave Jakovics three free throws on the final possession. A decision heavily criticized by the fans and the bench that cost them a technical foul (56-60).
The fourth quarter started and Flexicar Fuenlabrada struggled to get going, feeling the short rotation in their starters' legs. Súper Agropal Palencia took advantage with more energy to put the scoreboard in their favor 58-66. Then Fernando Martín appeared to support his team, playing that sixth-man role and elevating the level of his teammates. They responded to the support with a great Vítor Benite hitting two three-pointers to give them back the lead and put a heavy weight on Palencia. This pressure became evident in the visiting team, who missed several shots under the basket, and although Wintering kept the team alive, they couldn't overcome Fuenlabrada (77-72). Alex Renfroe finished the game from the free-throw line and had a great fourth quarter in which he didn't miss a single shot, while also distributing six assists.
The point guard was the game's MVP with 14 points, 6 assists and a rebound that gave him 25 efficiency rating. With this performance, Iñaki Martín's team forced a fifth game in the series and turned the matchup around after starting down 2-0.