Marcelinho Huertas chose the perfect night to climb another step in Liga Endesa history. The Brazilian point guard needed just three points to surpass Joe Arlauckas and had already scored seven by the end of the first quarter against Asisa Joventut, the club where he made his league debut in 2004. He finished with 19 points, bringing his career total to 7,560, and is now the eighth all-time leading scorer in the competition. His team also secured a comeback victory.
Joventut Leads at Halftime
The first quarter was tightly contested (25-24), with Huertas on one side and Laprovittola on the other. In the second quarter, La Laguna Tenerife managed just 14 points, allowing Joventut to take a six-point lead into halftime (39-45). The Argentine point guard was already Penya's best player, and Eli Ndiaye, who played despite his ankle sprain, contributed from three-point range.
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Canary Islands Defense Turns the Game Around
After halftime, Lakovic's team tightened up defensively and Joventut faded away. The Canary Islanders finished with 10 steals and held Penya to 8-of-29 from three-point range. With Giorgi Shermadini solid in the paint and Wesley van Beck accurate from outside, La Laguna Tenerife won the third quarter 21-15 and tied the game (60-60).
The fourth quarter belonged to the Canary Islanders. Joventut managed just 14 points while La Laguna Tenerife closed out the game from the free-throw line, though they missed quite a few: 19-of-32 for the entire game. Huertas finished with 19 points and a rating of 20, van Beck with 13 (4-of-6 from three) and Shermadini with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Laprovittola posted 23 points, 6 assists and a game-high rating of 27, but Joventut, suffering another loss, remains in the lower part of the standings.