BURGOS. Real Madrid claimed the inaugural Liga U title after defeating Barça Atlètic 86-82 in an intense final at El Plantío. The white team controlled much of the game and withstood Barcelona's late comeback to lift the competition's first-ever trophy.
Hugo Alonso was named Final MVP, proving crucial in decisive moments for a Real Madrid side that once again demonstrated the enormous talent in its academy.
The game started with plenty of nerves and inaccuracies from both teams. Both Real Madrid and Barça Atlètic struggled to find offensive rhythm in the opening minutes, but gradually the white team began to feel more comfortable on the court.
Grinvalds, Hugo Alonso, and especially Fabian Kayser led Madrid's offensive growth. Real Madrid began to punish from beyond the arc and also found clear advantages on the boards to open up the first leads of the game.
Barça Atlètic managed to stay close thanks to the talent of Mohamed Dabone, Nil Poza, and Siftar, who were very active during the first quarter. However, the Barcelona team began to struggle much more in the second period against the intensity of Madrid's defense.
Kutluay and Bjelic elevated the physical and offensive level of Real Madrid, which began to break open the game with excellent ball movement and strong three-point shooting. The whites reached their largest lead and went into halftime with a commanding advantage (49-36).
After the break came Barça Atlètic's response. Mo Keita took over the offensive leadership for Barcelona and alongside Siftar began to progressively cut into the deficit.
The Catalan team increased the pace of the game and began to find many more advantages in transition, forcing Real Madrid to raise the competitive level once again to maintain their lead.
Still, the white team continued to find answers in players like Hugo Alonso, Grinvalds, and Fabian Kayser, who were fundamental in maintaining control of the scoreboard in the most delicate moments.
The third quarter ended with Real Madrid still ahead, though now with a much tighter margin (66-61).
In the final period, Barça Atlètic got within just two points thanks to the push of an outstanding Mo Keita, who delivered an excellent offensive performance and kept Barcelona's hopes alive until the end.
But Real Madrid never lost their composure. Bjelic, Diarra, Amosov, and Hugo Alonso made decisive plays to maintain Madrid's advantage and prevent Barcelona from completing the comeback.
The white team closed out the game 86-82 and lifted the first trophy in Liga U history after winning a Classic of enormous competitive level.
With this victory, Real Madrid once again confirms the potential of its academy and adds another title to its collection in a very successful season for white basketball development. For their part, Barça Atlètic completed a great tournament and fought until the end in a final marked by the young talent of both teams.
86 - Real Madrid (24+25+17+20): Gunars Grinvalds (13), Hugo Alonso (16), Fabian Kayser (14), Egor Amosov (7), Ousmane Diarra (7) -starting five- Gabriel Tavier (0), Ignacio Rupérez (0), Omer Kutuluay (14), Andrej Bjelic (12), Rodrigo Rioja (3), Diosdado Krohnert (0) and Osagioduwa Hadi (-).
82 - Barça Atlètic (19+17+25+21): Jakob Siftar (16), Nil Poza (9), Diego Ferreras (7), Joaquim Beoumtje (4), Mohamed Dabone (15) -starting five- Abdeahamane Kone (0), Eric Montaner (-), Mohamed Keita (25), Ma Samba Gueye (-), Jan Cerdan (0), Biel Puig (-), Oriol Filba (6).