Joventut needed a win and got it at the Olímpic, where Zaragoza hasn't won since 2020. Dani Miret's team, coming off three straight losses, defeated Casademont Zaragoza (99-94) in a tight contest. Nicolás Laprovittola was sharp: 25 points, 8 assists and a 30 rating in 27 minutes.
Vives changes the first half
Penya started strong and went up 18-10. Then Guillem Vives entered the court, returning to the Olímpic wearing Zaragoza's jersey. A 0-7 run left the first quarter at 20-19, and within minutes the point guard had 6 points and 5 assists. With Laurynas Birutis strong in the paint and back-to-back three-pointers from Sergi García, Zaragoza went up seven (28-35). Laprovittola answered with two three-pointers and Brandon Ellis completed an 8-0 run for Joventut, but the Aragonese went into halftime ahead (43-44).
Vives didn't return in the second half. He left injured shortly before halftime, in his return to what was once his home.
The fourth quarter belongs to Joventut
The third quarter ended tied (27-27) and Zaragoza entered the final quarter with a one-point lead (70-71). But in the fourth quarter Joventut was better. They scored 29 points, with Laprovittola running the offense and Sulejmanović dominating in the paint, and didn't allow Zaragoza to take the lead again. The home team made 19 of 22 free throws and 14 three-pointers, which made up for Zaragoza being better near the basket.
Sulejmanović finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and a 29 rating, and Ellis scored 18 off the bench. Álex Reyes returned from injury and added 9 points. Ante Tomić was unable to play due to a registration issue. For Zaragoza, Birutis scored 19 points, Rihards Blumbergs 15 and Sergi García 13.
Joventut improves to 3-5. Zaragoza falls to 5-3 and misses the chance to reach 6-2 for only the second time in its history.