BURGOS. Porfi Fisac's side defeated La Laguna Tenerife, shutting down any comeback attempts (96-88). Strong performances from Ethan Happ (21 rating) and especially Gonzalo Corbalán (25 rating) proved decisive.
Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos tasted victory once again this Saturday, securing their fourth win of the season and reaffirming their strong competitive form with a solid 96-88 victory over La Laguna Tenerife, who were significantly hampered by the injury absence of veteran point guard Marcelinho Huertas.
Porfi Fisac's team imposed their rhythm from the opening quarter and managed their advantages throughout the forty minutes, with Gonzalo Corbalán taking the lead to return to winning ways after several games coming up just short.
The start was evenly matched, with an exchange of baskets and interior play from Shermadini and Happ, but from the middle of the first quarter Porfi Fisac's side began to establish control with sustained runs built on defensive intensity and quick transitions.
The first run came with points from Meindl, Samuels, and a very active Fischer, forcing Txus Vidorreta to call timeout (16-11).
Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos continued to set the pace and that benefited them through 23-14 with which the opening quarter closed.
The trend solidified in the second quarter as the Burgos team shifted gears, punishing every Tenerife turnover and dominating the boards.
Jhivvan Jackson and Happ extended the lead with continued offensive execution, while La Laguna Tenerife found intermittent relief through Bruno Fitipaldo and occasional outside flashes from Abromaitis.
The Canary Islands team managed to momentarily stem the bleeding with a defensive adjustment and the presence of Gio Shermadini in the paint, stringing together a response run to get within ten points and sit just four behind their opponent (36-32).
However, each comeback attempt was stifled by the clarity of the Burgos team's play, especially with Corbalán orchestrating: the Argentine point guard delivered an outstanding stretch in the final minutes of the second quarter, scoring and creating advantages to restore a comfortable margin before halftime, which arrived at 46-36 in favor of the home side.
The third quarter maintained the favorable trend for Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos, who returned from the locker room determined to break open the game.
A forceful opening run, led by Neto and Jhivvan Jackson, pushed the lead to 52-36, forcing the Tenerife side to fight an uphill battle once again.
Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos found points fluidly from multiple positions—Samuels and Meindl punishing near the basket, Neto punishing in transition—while La Laguna Tenerife could only sustain themselves through Fitipaldo and isolated plays from Shermadini.
The Tenerife side reacted from beyond the arc with Van Beck and Abromaitis connecting on their best stretch of the game and cutting the deficit to 62-51, prompting Porfi Fisac to call timeout to halt that momentum.
The adjustment worked: the home team regained control and stretched the lead again with a dominant Meindl and Corbalán's direction, closing the quarter at 73-64.
The final quarter confirmed the solidity of Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos, who managed their lead despite continuous comeback attempts from La Laguna Tenerife.
Each time Txus Vidorreta's side threatened to get close, with an unleashed Van Beck and the push from Jaime Fernández, an immediate local response appeared.
Jhivvan Jackson and Fischer sustained the scoring battle in the opening minutes, while Corbalán once again took charge to keep the game under control and prevent the margin from dropping to a single possession.
The Canary Islands team did not give up and found in Van Beck their great reference point: the guard delivered an extraordinary performance, reaching 29 points and setting his scoring record, keeping his team alive until the final stretch.
However, Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos showed greater composure in the decisive moments and after Porfi Fisac's timeout, Meindl, Neto, and Corbalán himself closed out the game from the free throw line and in transition, sealing a hard-fought and deserved victory (96-88).
96 - Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos (23+23+27+23): Samuels (4), Gudmundsson (2), Corbalán (24), Meindl (16), Happ (14) -starting five- Nzosa (-), Rubio (3), Almazán (3), Neto (9), Lima (-), Fischer (7), Jackson (14).
88 - La Laguna Tenerife (14+22+28+24): Van Beck (29), Fitipaldo (8), Scrubb (9), Guerra (2), Doornekamp (3) -starting five- Fernández (14), Sastre (0), Bordón (0), Shermadini (12), Abromaitis (7), Giedraitis (4), Alderete (-).
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