A CORUÑA. Leyma Básquet Coruña opened their quarterfinal series in the Liga Endesa promotion playoff with a decisive victory over Hestia Menorca, winning 93-71 at the Coliseum. The team coached by Carles Marco endured a competitive first half before breaking the game open in the fourth quarter to take a 1-0 series lead, with Game 2 returning home next Sunday.
The atmosphere at the Coliseum perfectly reflected the importance of the matchup for Leyma Básquet Coruña, forced to move forward after falling just short of direct promotion despite a strong regular season. The response from the home team at the start was exactly what Carles Marco was looking for: defensive intensity, high pace, and offensive personality.
The orange squad dominated the game early thanks to their aggressive defense and the physical impact of Ily Diop in the paint. Hestia Menorca struggled from the opening moments to contain the local transition game, with several of their players quickly accumulating personal fouls.
A timeout called by Javi Zamora momentarily halted Coruña's momentum. Menorca responded with a 2+1 from Vicedo and capitalized on some isolated errors from Leyma Básquet Coruña to stay close on the scoreboard. Thiam had a difficult stretch after missing a clear layup and subsequently allowing a 2+1 to Sola.
However, the visiting team couldn't take full advantage of the situation, further hampered by their struggles from the free throw line. A three-pointer from Ily Diop restored calm to the Coliseum and allowed the hosts to close the first quarter with a lead (20-15).
The second quarter proved much more demanding for Leyma Básquet Coruña. Hestia Menorca raised their physical level and managed to tie the game after a transition layup by Jaume Lobo. The Balearic team threatened to shift the game's momentum and forced Carles Marco's squad to respond.
That's when the offensive talent of the orange squad emerged. Dídac Cuevas ignited the Coliseum with two nearly identical three-pointers from the right side of the perimeter, providing breathing room for a Leyma team that found advantages on the scoreboard once again.
Despite the local shooting success, Hestia Menorca continued competing, and a three-pointer from Littleson allowed the visitors to head into halftime still very much in the game (43-37).
The second half start wasn't easy for Leyma Básquet Coruña either. Schott and Sola led a quick 0-5 run that cut the deficit and generated fresh doubts for the home squad.
But then Ily Diop emerged once again. The Senegalese center dominated both ends of the floor, punishing opponents near the basket and leading the local defense. A dunk from him restored the advantage to around ten points, and later a spectacular block on Arteaga definitively lifted the Coliseum.
Hestia Menorca resisted as best they could, though Leyma Básquet Coruña began controlling the game's pace much better and entered the fourth quarter with a 61-52 advantage.
In the decisive final ten minutes came the knockout blow from the orange squad. Jorgensen opened the quarter with an action of tremendous quality, completing a layup with a foul that extended the lead to eleven points.
From there, Leyma Básquet Coruña unleashed its best offensive version. Fast breaks began to dismantle Hestia Menorca, and in just minutes the advantage grew from +7 to +16 with Diop, Jacobo, Thiam, and Joe Cremo continuously punishing the visiting team.
The game was completely decided well before the final buzzer, and the Coliseum finished celebrating a very solid victory for the Coruña squad. Ily Diop was the standout performer of the night and received a standing ovation when Carles Marco decided to substitute him in the final minutes.
With this victory, Leyma Básquet Coruña takes the series lead in the quarterfinals of the Liga Endesa promotion playoff and will have the opportunity to put the series on track in Game 2, again at the Coliseum.