Tough league start for Iñaki Martín's team after losing in the final minute to Caja 87
On Sunday, October 11, the San Pablo Sports Pavilion hosted the third matchday of Primera FEB in a game between Caja 87 and Partizan Fuenlabrada. The home team arrived with good feelings after winning the previous matchday against Palmer Basket Mallorca in a very solid performance. The visitors' feelings were not as positive, arriving with a 0-2 record, although they had faced two great teams in the competition like HLA Alicante and Cajasiete Gran Canaria.
The home team started in the best way with a three-pointer from Soumbey-Alley that energized the entire pavilion. Partizan Fuenlabrada had a harder time getting going, but thanks to some good minutes from Iván Cruz on offense, they managed to build a slight advantage: 9-12.
Insolac Caja 87 stayed in the game during the minutes Unai Mendikote was on the court. After the small forward substitution, Caja 87 struggled on both sides of the floor. Defensively, they committed many fouls that allowed Iñaki Martín's team to score easy points, even though they didn't have a brilliant game either. On offense, Juani Díez's team wasn't playing well either, with Webster struggling to create plays and not being accurate around the rim. The first quarter ended with a buzzer-beater from Josep Franch that made it 18-22.
The second quarter started badly for Iñaki Martín's team, who were disconnected on defense and committed three personal fouls very quickly that affected the rest of the period (24-25). They managed to stay in the game thanks to two consecutive three-pointers from Javi López that gave them hope, although the team was suffering a lot defensively.
Caja 87 took advantage of these moments to turn the game around by attacking and looking for Vítor Benite. Nacho Varela was the architect of the comeback and, with three three-pointers, made it 34-32 in the game. These great minutes from Varela, combined with the defensive problems of the Fuenlabrada team, tilted the game in favor of the Caja team, who achieved their biggest lead of the game: 45-38. The first half ended with a score of 47-41.
In the second half, both teams struggled to get going. The first points of the quarter came almost four minutes after the start: 49-46. After the first timeout and player substitutions, both teams began to increase the intensity of the game.
For the Fuenlabrada team, Jonathan Zhao was mainly responsible for this improvement in performance after scoring three consecutive three-pointers that allowed his team to stay in the game. For Caja, it was Kobe Webster who solved the quarter with seven points to his credit. The quarter ended with a score of 61-57.
The final quarter started with Vítor Benite in problem-solving mode, scoring two consecutive three-pointers to give his team the lead for the first time since the second quarter (64-65). At the same time he became the savior, Benite was going to be the target player for Caja 87 to hunt on offense and generate advantages through free throws (69-66).
The final minutes of the quarter were a continuous exchange of baskets that kept Caja fans on edge until the end of the game. Juani Díez's team was doing a lot of damage with a great Bolavie on offense and around the rim, while Iñaki Martín's team stayed in the game with great chemistry between Mateo Díaz and Goran Huskic (75-74).
The game was decided with a final score of 77-74 after a timeout from Fuenlabrada, who had the chance to tie but couldn't convert. The game's MVP was Kobe Webster, with 20 efficiency points after scoring 14 points, distributing 3 assists, and grabbing 3 rebounds.