Kids & Us Manresa claimed victory over Morabanc Andorra 74-83 in the second game of the opening matchday of the Lliga Catalana being held in Tarragona. It wasn't a brilliant performance—normal at this stage of the season—but it had plenty of drama throughout. Diego Ocampo's squad, which improved as the game went on, recovered from a poor start and secured their first tournament win.
Morabanc Andorra came out firing and thanks to the duo of Mcgriff-Pustovyi (both with 5 points), Zan Tabak's team took early control (19-10 at the 8-minute mark). Kids & Us Manresa was uncomfortable on the court, outmatched on defense and erratic on offense. As the minutes passed, the collapse of Ocampo's squad continued. Andorra's opening performance had been impressive. As a result, they dominated the first quarter 23-12.
In the second quarter, the game became murkier. Errors piled up on both sides of the court. We can say these minutes were not a showcase of good basketball—normal at this stage of the season. Andorra ran out of steam and managed just two points in six minutes. The game evened out (25-22 at the 26-minute mark).
Ferran Bassas made his presence felt in the game and thanks to a three-pointer, Manresa got within one (28-27 at the 18-minute mark). Diego Ocampo's squad had managed to turn around their poor start. Andorra's defense was suffocating, and Zan Tabak's team had completely disconnected. Kids & Us took the lead with two free throws from Timmy Allen (6 points) and closed out the quarter with a 7-21 run that said it all. Still, the game remained wide open. They went into halftime at 30-33 for Manresa with everything still to play for.
After the break, Morabanc Andorra returned to their first-quarter form. Led by Artem Pustovyi (14 points), who dominated in the paint, Andorra took the lead (45-44 at the 25-minute mark). The game remained evenly matched on the court.
Three-pointers from Kassius Robertson (16 points) for Andorra and points from Pablo Tamba (10 points) kept the score balanced. Neither team could pull away on the scoreboard, and at the end of the third quarter Morabanc Andorra led by one, 56-55.
The final quarter was time for the veterans. Pustovyi and Robertson on one side, and Bassas and Oriola on the other, emerged as leaders of their respective teams. A three-pointer from the latter put Manresa up 66-70, which at that point was a comfortable cushion.
The final stretch belonged to the Bages squad. Two consecutive three-pointers from Hugo Benitez (14 points) put the game out of reach (70-81 at the 38-minute mark). The late efforts from Zan Tabak's team proved insufficient, and Manresa took the victory 74-83.