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may 03 2026VITORIA. Kosner Baskonia delivered a commanding victory against Río Breogán 112-84 in Liga Endesa play, highlighted by Matteo Spagnolo's stellar performance and the home team's defensive intensity. The win keeps Baskonia in contention for the upper standings following losses by Valencia Basket and UCAM Murcia, keeping their push toward second place alive.
The game started at a brisk pace with both teams trading baskets from the opening possessions. Kobi Simmons took charge of Kosner Baskonia's offense in the absence of Trent Forrest and set the tone for the home team, which also found success near the basket through Mamadi Diakité and Eugene Omoruyi.
Río Breogán accepted the offensive exchange and managed to stay competitive thanks to Keandre Cook's playmaking and the accuracy of the Galician attack, which found advantages against a Baskonia defense that was still inconsistent. Nevertheless, Kosner Baskonia grew stronger defensively and closed the first quarter ahead (27-24).
The balance continued through much of the second period. The Lugo team managed to stay in the game with flashes from Brankovic and Francis Alonso, but began to struggle when the blue-and-white squad elevated its physical and defensive intensity. Offensive rebounding started to tip the scales for the home team, and Río Breogán lost offensive fluidity just as Kosner Baskonia accelerated the pace in transition.
Even a leak near the scorers' table didn't disrupt the game's rhythm. Markus Howard appeared with five consecutive points in the final stretch of the second quarter and allowed the Vitoria team to head into halftime with a significant advantage (52-40).
After the break came Kosner Baskonia's decisive blow. Markus Howard opened the third quarter with three three-pointers that extended the lead and brought the game close to a blowout. Mihajlo Andric tried to keep Río Breogán afloat with two consecutive three-point attempts, but the Galician team began to show signs of fatigue against Baskonia's defensive intensity.
The team from Vitoria increasingly dominated the game through defense and rebounding, imposing its physical superiority and punishing every visiting mistake. With an 80-62 lead at the end of the third quarter, the contest was essentially decided.
In the final period, foul trouble for Río Breogán's interior players opened the door for Kosner Baskonia to unleash an offensive barrage from beyond the arc. Six three-pointers made by the home team in the final stretch put the finishing touches on a game that had clearly been decided in blue-and-white's favor for many minutes.
Matteo Spagnolo was the star of Kosner Baskonia's victory with a brilliant performance that earned him 33 efficiency points in one of his most complete games of the season. Dragan Apic was Río Breogán's standout player with 20 efficiency points, but the Galician team's effort was not enough to contain Baskonia's offensive onslaught.
The victory keeps Kosner Baskonia firmly in the fight for the top positions in Liga Endesa, while Río Breogán couldn't stop a rival that was clearly superior from the second quarter onward and delivered one of its most solid performances of the season on both offense and defense.
