Baxi Manresa won their second game in the Basketball Champions League after winning 68-73 on the Hapoel Jerusalem court, a match that was decided in a coin toss, in which free throws were decisive (14/20 locals, 25/32 visitors); and in which a great final defense from forward Guillem Jou tipped the balance in favor of the Catalans.
The Manresa did not enter the game on the right foot, with a mixed game in attack and clearly losing the battle for the rebound. From very early on the Israelis opened a gap on the scoreboard (10-2 min 5), but fortunately for the Catalans, the poor success of the locals’ launch (1/11 in triples) did not allow the differences to widen.
Baxi Manresa came out with a 0-5 run in the second quarter that forced the local coach to quickly stop the game (15-15 min 12). The Israelis converted their first basket into play in the fifth minute of the quarter due to the good Manresa defense; and from then on, the party had no command. Both teams were exchanging control of the game and the result was tightened before the break.
The Catalans took the initiative in the third quarter, maintaining the good defense and increasing the success in the triple. The locals were thick in attack, although they relied on the offensive talent of Jalen Adams to stay very close (40-44 min 26). In the last three minutes of the quarter, a 12-4 partial for the locals gave them the minimum
advantage before the final period.
The last quarter started with a lot of offensive joy, but it was reduced as the minutes passed. In Manresa, point guard Francisco emerged as the leader to keep his team above (58-61 min 35). Free throws became very important at the end of the game. The Manresa were not able to close the clash and take advantage of the opponent’s mistakes, but finally they took the duel after better controlling the small details.