La Laguna Tenerife Grind Out Hard-Fought Victory in Prague to Secure Third Top 16 Win (55-69)

La Laguna Tenerife earned an important road victory at ERA Nymburk on Tuesday evening (55-69). Txus Vidorreta's squad overcame a challenging matchup with strong defensive execution and a crucial performance from the duo of Bruno Fitipaldo and Wesley Van Beck (39 points and 34 combined rating).

The Canary Islanders, who were without the injured Marcelinho Huertas, effectively neutralized the Czech champions' main offensive weapons despite struggling on the defensive glass; and overcame foul trouble for their big men with serious, collective effort across the board.

The Canary Islanders' consistency and resolve to dig in during the fourth quarter and impose their style when it mattered most allowed them to celebrate their third win in four Top 16 games, without needing to suffer down the stretch; and take a crucial step toward the coveted qualification for the Basketball Champions League (BCL) quarterfinals.

The game started with Bruno Fitipaldo and Wesley Van Beck already shouldering the offensive load for the Canary Islanders (six and eleven points at halftime, respectively); while the hosts pressed three-quarters court to try to stifle the island team's ball handlers.

The Canary Islanders' ball movement (just three turnovers by halftime) allowed them to find good shots and begin building early leads on the scoreboard (9-13, 12-15), despite Aaron Doornekamp getting into early foul trouble.

A coast-to-coast finish by Fran Guerra capped with a dunk, a solid penetration by Jaime Fernández, a corner three-pointer from Tim Abromaitis and five consecutive points from Thomas Scrubb, combined with solid defense, built a 2-11 run in the transition from the first to second quarter (19-32, min. 13).

However, the hosts dominated the offensive glass, an area where they rank among the best in the BCL, and managed to score on second chances. The Czechs relied on Rice's explosiveness and gradually cut into the deficit with a 7-0 run heading into halftime (29-35).

After the break, Canarias tried again to break open the game with an 0-8 run, featuring two four-point plays with Wes (3+1) and Bruno as the protagonists (three-pointer and free throw from a technical on the opponent): 34-46. However, Nymburk, coming off a strong performance in Trieste, refused to quit and tightened the screws again trying to force a close finish (47-53, min. 30).

Along the way, La Laguna Tenerife saw their pair of centers pick up four fouls, but far from backing down, the team stepped up. Aaron Doornekamp multiplied his efforts on the glass, an area where Van Beck also contributed significantly with several important offensive rebounds, which progressively wore down the hosts' morale.

Accurate three-point shooting again from Bruno and Wes provided the decisive spark for an important push toward a hard-fought and well-deserved victory. The third win in Top 16 play in the first four matchdays so far, to keep their quarterfinal hopes intact when continental competition resumes in March, following the King's Cup break and another FIBA international window.

La Laguna Tenerife press release