Leyma Coruña Proves Leadership Credentials with Solid Comeback in Oviedo

The league leaders got off to a rough start but demonstrated their title credentials with a valuable comeback at the Palacio de los Deportes in Oviedo to maintain their unbeaten record. Behind them, Monbus Obradoiro continues to apply pressure in second place after a win in Zamora, while Súper Agropal Palencia upset Movistar Estudiantes in Madrid.

Alimerka Oviedo led on the scoreboard for a good stretch, but that would not be enough to contain a solid Leyma Coruña that showed championship credentials to complete the comeback and return home with their lead at the top of the table intact.

Flexicar Fuenlabrada played another match at home following their midweek victory, and Iñaki Martín's side closed out the opening game of the competition with an identical result. A victory built on their dominance from the opening minutes against Grupo Ureta Tizona, who could only stay competitive during the initial back-and-forth. From that point on, Denís Pombar's team had serious problems containing a dominant Iván Aurrecoechea, who received the usual support from Mateo Díaz and Dani Manchón from the 6-75 mark to begin pulling away in a game where 18 three-pointers from the home side proved decisive (76-69).

The matchup then shifted to the battle between the top teams with the Oviedo capital as the epicenter. There, the strong start from Javi Rodríguez's side made things very difficult for the league leaders, a Leyma Coruña that struggled to impose their style and focused their early efforts on containing Parham to stay within striking distance. Carles Marco's team tried to take a step forward defensively to gradually impose their attacking style, where Caio Pacheco began moving with comfort to turn the game around. A final quarter that capped off the comeback to secure a victory and maintain their +2 lead at the top of the table (84-89). Their closest pursuer also did not falter—Monbus Obradoiro made their intentions clear from the opening tip at the Ángel Nieto in Zamora. They did so with their usual weapons: defensive solidity, three-point accuracy from Alex Barcello, and interior toughness from Felipe dos Anjos. All of this left Caja Rural Zamora with no chance against their superior opponent (77-82).

Inveready Gipuzkoa also did not stumble, solidifying their position in that second tier of the table with a dominant performance at the Palacio de los Deportes in Cartagena, reaffirming their excellent form. A team led by Javier Nicolau's play in the paint that secured their eleventh win, virtually sealing their initial survival objective (68-84). Hestia Menorca is also approaching that objective after securing their sixth consecutive win and tenth of the season at home, this time against a Grupo Alega Cantabria hampered in their perimeter game and unable to contain the outstanding performance of Fernando Zurbriggen and McFadden on the outside (89-81).

But the big winner of the night came at the Pazo dos Deportes where Cloud.Gal Ourense staged a spectacular comeback in a must-win game against HLA Alicante. A game in which they managed to stay competitive against an HLA Alicante that Kevin Larsen kept within 6-8 points throughout, but who would be overwhelmed down the stretch by the explosion of Romaro Gill, whose performance had been hampered by foul trouble. His late surge with four consecutive trips to the basket and several rebounds proved decisive in keeping the victory at home (81-75).

On Sunday morning, Movistar Estudiantes arrived at the weekend's marquee matchup with a significant last-minute handicap. The absences of Jayson Granger and Lotanna Nwogbo would condition the Madrid team's play against Súper Agropal Palencia, who arrived with three new faces in their roster and would have Kamba as their most dominant player. His actions opened up the scoreboard against a local team that survived through the intensity of Juampi Vaulet. That momentum would not be enough to neutralize a Palencia team on a roll for the victory, who caught up with the Madrid side in the standings and surpassed them thanks to head-to-head advantage (72-94).

The matchday was completed from Son Moix on a Sunday afternoon where Melilla Ciudad del Deporte dominated for a good stretch at Son Moix but ultimately could not secure the victory. The solid play of Iván Cruz in the paint and the debut of Michael Caicedo would not be enough to prevent the home comeback. A turnaround led by a strong Aramburu, who scored the decisive points to flip the scoreboard (84-78).

PRIMERA FEB - MATCHDAY 18:

Saturday, February 7, 2026:
- Flexicar Fuenlabrada vs Grupo Ureta Tizona (76-69) | MVP: I. Aurrecoechea - 25 val.
- Grupo Caesa Cartagena vs Inveready Gipuzkoa (64-84) | MVP: J. Nicolau - 27 val.
- Cloud.Gal Ourense vs HLA Alicante (81-75) | MVP: J. Mwema - 21 val.
- Alimerka Oviedo vs Leyma Coruña (84-89) | MVP: C. Pacheco - 33 val.
- Caja Rural Zamora vs Monbus Obradoiro (77-92) | MVP: A. Barcello - 21 val.
- Hestia Menorca vs Grupo Alega Cantabria (89-81) | MVP: F. Zurbriggen - 29 val.

Sunday, February 8, 2026:
- Movistar Estudiantes vs Súper Agropal Palencia (72-94) | MVP: M. Kamba - 29 val.
- Fibwi Mallorca Palma vs Melilla Ciudad del Deporte (84-78) | MVP: I. Cruz - 29 val.