Kosner Baskonia Defeats MoraBanc Andorra 79-88 Behind Strong Forrest Performance

Kosner Baskonia, led by Trent Forrest (21 points) and Luwawu-Cabarrot (20 points), defeated MoraBanc Andorra 79-88, leaving the hosts in relegation zone ahead of two consecutive road games.

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Baskonia's performance overshadowed a spectacular game from Ukrainian center Artem Pustovyi with 23 points, 13 rebounds and a rating of 35.

An exchange of blows marked the start of the game between a desperate MoraBanc Andorra and Kosner Baskonia, coming off two consecutive EuroLeague games. Žan Tabak's side relied on the inspiration of Pustovyi (11 points) and shooting guard Sir'Jabari Rice (6 points). The hosts led 17-14 at one point, but Paolo Galbiati's team, led by Luwawu-Cabarrot and Omoruyi, closed the first quarter with a 21-25 score.

A 2-8 run late in the quarter by Kosner Baskonia marked the difference to break the tight contest between Tabak's and Galbiati's teams.

The second half began to take shape for the Vitoria side from 37-38 onward, moving to 39-46 with points from Forrest and Luwawu-Cabarrot. Zan Tabak's team held on as long as their physicality allowed.

Upon resumption, Kosner Baskonia sealed the game quickly. MoraBanc disappeared from the court with a 7-17 run to fall behind by 17 at 46-63. Andorra forgot how to score and also how to defend against a rival with higher aspirations and EuroLeague-level quality. The hosts salvaged the scoreboard with a 9-3 run to leave it at 54-66 at the end of the third quarter.

MoraBanc went for the heroic comeback and within three minutes was down just 9 (60-69). Little by little, Žan Tabak's team cut into the lead and forced a timeout from Paolo Galbiati at 64-71. Luwawu-Cabarrot decided to take over and scored five consecutive points.

At 3'30", four straight points from Shannon Evans II made it 73-78. A three-pointer from Spagnolo, a 2-1 from Diakite and two points from Fischer sealed it at 75-86 with 1'56" remaining.

79- MoraBanc Andorra (21+18+15+25): Shannon Evans II (6), Sir'Jabari Rice (18), 'Chumi' Ortega (-), Pons (-) and Pustovyi (23) -starting five-; McKoy (5), Castañeda (8), Best (2), Kostadinov (6), Kuric (8) and Rubén Guerrero (3).

88- Kosner Baskonia (25+21+20+22): Rafa Villar (1), Forrest (21), Radzevicius (-), Omoruyi (10) and Edwards (4) -starting five-; Diakite (7), Kobi Simmons (9), Spagnolo (11), Frisch (5) and Luwawu-Cabarrot (20).

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