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sep 26 2026Surne Bilbao remains undefeated since summer began, and the league season is off to the same start. The team defeated Kids&Us Manresa 107-92 at Bilbao Arena, building a 17-point lead with offensive production that confirms what the squad has been showing since August.
A first quarter of scoring
The home team started strong, with a free throw from Harald Frey and four consecutive points from Bastien Vautier for a 7-2 lead. Manresa responded and got close (9-7), but a 6-0 run with Adam Somogyi very active gave control back to the home side.
The Catalans tightened up again and the period closed tight: 19-18.
Ongenda's warning
The second quarter remained close, with a 7-7 tie in the first four minutes. Past the midpoint came the only Manresa lead of the game, with a dunk from Nick Ongenda.
It didn't last long. A three-pointer from Martin Krampelj and two free throws restored a five-point lead for the home team, and baskets from Frey and Darrun Hilliard in the closing moments maintained that margin at halftime.
The concerning stat for Bilbao in that stretch was Ongenda, who reached thirteen points in the first half and exposed the Bilbao team's difficulties in the paint.
The third quarter decided it
After halftime, the game changed dimension. Bilbao raised its defensive level, controlled the boards, and found offensive solidity to open up the gap.
Tryggvi Hlinason dominated under the basket and, on the perimeter, Hilliard and Margiris Normantas took on scoring responsibility.
Manresa, meanwhile, couldn't find its rhythm, penalized especially by a very poor three-point percentage.
And the fourth, to manage
The final period opened with a block from Normantas and four consecutive points from Vautier. With another basket from Normantas himself, the lead reached sixteen points.
With six minutes remaining, Somogyi hit his first three-pointer of the game. From there, both teams continued scoring, but the Catalans never found a way to cut into the lead and the final score was 107-92.
The numbers
Hilliard was the best performer for the home side: 19 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. Hlinason posted 12 points and 8 rebounds, four of them offensive.
For Manresa, Ongenda was the major problem for Bilbao's defense with 17 points and three blocks, and Kolenda added 13.
