Lenovo Tenerife appeared in the Santiago Martín pavilion in the home debut in this edition of the Basketball Champions League after the victory suffered in Ukrainian lands on the opening day. With a much shorter competition format than in previous editions, the players led by Txus Vidorreta received the Italian Dinamo Sassari who had fallen on the first day.
The first sensations that the team had offered after the injury of its MVP, Gio Shermadini, had been quite positive, since despite falling at the Wizink Center against Real Madrid, he had left a very good image and competing in the game with the group of Pablo Laso until the last two minutes of the game. The two subsequent encounters had resulted in a victory against Promiteas and Zaragoza quite forcefully in ACB.
The rival appeared in the Santiago Martin with a team very changed to the one of past seasons, including its technician, Demis Cavina. Her best man, David Logan, 38-year-old veteran guard, American but with a Polish passport. The rest of the team losing what is usual in recent seasons in European basketball, the identity of the teams. Only three Italians in their ranks (36-year-old veteran Devecchi, 32-year-old Stefano Gentile and 31-year-old Jacopo Borra).
The rest, up to four Americans, a Lithuanian, Estonian and Nigerian, (Mekowulu). Lenovo wants to repeat the successes of past seasons.
The clash began with a partial 2-7 for the Italians. The people from Tenerife started with Bruno Fitipaldo, Sasu Salin, Aaron Doornekamp, Witljer and Julian Gamble. In those initial moments, Gentile already committed his first two personal fouls but became the top scorer of his own with 4 points. Very soon, just three minutes into the game and Txus Vidorreta was already moving the bench with the entry of Fran Guerra by Julian Gamble. Little by little the Lenovo began to show its hallmarks. At seven minutes, (8-9). The defense prevailed over the attacks. I start somewhat imprecise in both attacks. The few personal fouls committed by the two teams were striking. Eight minutes of shock, and only three personal. The Basque coach requested time-out (10-13), with two minutes remaining in the first quarter since he saw how his team did not finish entering the game.
The beginning of the second quarter already had another face. Quick partial of 9-4 for Tenerife that caused the visitors’ time out. The Tenerifeans were put ahead on the scoreboard for the first time, (24-19). The success from the triple began to appear with Bruno Fitpaldo and the success of Joan Sastre, scoring 9 points at that moment of the game. The people of Tenerife left with a +10 in the electronic, (29-19). Maximum income, +12 with the (31-19) that was registered in the absence of three minutes before the break. The Italians were no longer so successful in their shots. Julian Gamble did damage in the area, both in attack (10 points), and in defense. With a minute to go, Sassari had scored just four points in the quarter for all twenty of the locals. The break was reached with the scoreboard with a triple on Witljer’s horn to put the (38-21) on the scoreboard. Tenerife had endorsed a partial of 23-6.
The Tenerife team was on track with 17 income points that boasted the second victory in the Champions League. In that interval, Julian Gamble with 10 points, and Bruno Fitipaldo and Joan Sastre with 9 points each, were becoming the top scorers for the Canaristas. In the Italians the scoring facet had been stuck.
The third quarter began with Fitipaldo, Sastre, Sergio Rodríguez, Doornekamp and Gamble of five. The American walked as in the corridor of his house, having at his disposal up to two chances of 2 + 1 wasting both. At the beginning of the quarter, he was the top scorer for Tenerife with 14 points. The difference grew, (47-23). After four minutes, Vidorreta gave Gamble a break amid the applause of his people. The Tenerife team accumulated in the second half of the turnovers at the hands of Fran Guerra, who did not finish the plays. The attacks were stalled at that moment of the game, with three minutes remaining in the quarter (51-28). Basket exchange with the most successful Italian team in this phase of the match. Fran Guerra took the scoring witness from Gamble and finished the fourth with 13. The American and the interior from Gran Canaria added between the two 27 of the 59 points up to that moment. With ten minutes to go, (59-35).
The last quarter, with 24 rental points, was noted for processing for the insular. The second victory was closer. It was a matter of letting the minutes go by and competing in those moments of duel. Gamble, after a seven-minute break, was back on the court. He returned as he left, scoring and intimidating. He reached 18 points with five minutes remaining in the game. It was a matter of time, (70-47).
The minutes passed and the rent did not drop below 20 points, (70-50). The only remarkable thing about that last quarter, some arbitration decisions that left much to be desired in the local fan. Protest actions on Gamble or steps of Joan Sastre in two attacks. The transalpine team scored three consecutive triples that brought them closer on the scoreboard, (70-56) in the absence of three and a half minutes. Burnell with 12 points was the only one who stood out in a bad team game on the scoring side. It was curious that the island’s leading scorer on the opening day, Sasu Salin with 33 points, had only two points scored in 37 minutes of the game. It was a matter of letting the seconds pass, victory was assured, (77-58), with two minutes to go. They even had minutes, Brnovic and Sean Smith, so the entire rotation participated.
In the end, victory, second in a row in the Champions League and third overall that leaves the aurinegros in a fantastic situation in the run-up to the visit to Baskonia on Sunday at 5.30 pm on a new day for the ACB.
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