Mission Impossible: Fuenlabrada Falls Short Against HLA Alicante in Thrilling Finish (87-90)

Matchday 21 of Primera FEB saw Flexicar Fuenlabrada take on HLA Alicante in the second game of the week for both teams.

Iñaki Martín's squad arrived from Mallorca after defeating Fibwi the previous Wednesday. With that victory, the Madrid-based team moved into fourth place in the standings and reached the 12-win target set by their head coach. However, there was bad news as well: the team's leading scorer, Vítor Benite, was ruled out with an injury. On the other side of the court was Rubén Perelló's HLA Alicante, coming off a win against Melilla that snapped a five-game losing streak.

Mission Impossible: Iván Aurrecoechea Gives Everything on the Court
The game started at the Fernando Martín arena with Flexicar Fuenlabrada beginning with positive momentum, driven by six points from Iván Aurrecoechea. The dynamics shifted quickly as Mike Torres caught fire, putting Alicante up 12-19, while Fuenlabrada struggled from beyond the arc. Recently arrived from the ACB, Sander Hollanders took the court for Perelló's squad. The first quarter ended 15-21, with Fuenlabrada shooting 0-for-6 from three-point range—a key differentiator.

The second quarter opened with Hollanders hitting a three-pointer to extend the lead further. Iñaki Martín's team continued to struggle from the perimeter, particularly Dani Manchón. This scoring drought from three (0-for-11 for the home team), combined with an outstanding first-half performance from Mike Torres (16 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound), sent the visitors into halftime with a double-digit advantage (32-42).
Mission Impossible: Mateo and Manchón Join Agent Aurrecoechea in Dreaming of the Comeback.

The second half didn't bring an immediate change in momentum, and the Alicante squad continued to punish from beyond the arc (34-49). Then Mateo Díaz decided to join agent Aurrecoechea to lead the comeback: with 10 consecutive points from the Argentine, Perelló called a timeout (44-49).

After the timeout, Hollanders hit a three-pointer, but Manchón quickly responded to keep the comeback dream alive. The Fernando Martín crowd became the sixth man, while also voicing loud protests against the officiating crew. The good vibes ended with a strong Alicante run capped by a three-point play from Eddy Polanco, sending both teams into a decisive fourth quarter (56-68).

The visitors' momentum continued with a Hollanders three-pointer, but Mateo Díaz and Dani Manchón rolled up their sleeves and fought for the comeback. Manchón found his three-point stroke, Mateo kept his hot hand, and Aurrecoechea was absolutely unstoppable in the paint. This trio of warriors fought to keep the Fernando Martín fortress alive, and with a Manchón three-pointer, Fuenlabrada took the lead again.

Despite this trio being in a state of grace and the Fernando Martín crowd pressing harder than ever, HLA Alicante refused to surrender and had a secret weapon: Eddy Polanco. The Dominican seemed to have ice in his veins and, with a combination of three-pointers and free throws, made it 79-84 with less than a minute to play. Those seconds felt eternal in Fuenlabrada for a crowd that gave everything and could dream after several exchanges at the free-throw line that put Fuenlabrada at 87-88 with 7.4 seconds remaining. Then the secret weapon appeared again: Eddy Polanco, who made both free throws from the line and sealed the 87-90 victory, despite Mateo having a last-second shot to tie.

Thus ended a truly heart-stopping contest that ended Flexicar Fuenlabrada's seven-game winning streak. Additionally, with this loss, Iván Aurrecoechea said goodbye to the Fernando Martín, as his contract expires once the FIBA windows begin in February. His final game, barring any changes, wearing Iñaki Martín's colors will be next matchday against Súper Agropal Palencia.