Lointek Gernika Bizkaia beat Movistar Estudiantes in Maloste, 66-54, in a match that Anna Montañana’s team came from behind in the second half led by the American power forward Julie Wojta, the Italian forward Laura Spreafico and the young Biscayan point guard Itziar Ariztimuno.
With this victory, Gernika snatches second place from the Madrid team and leads them in a victory at the end of the first round of Group H of the Women’s Euro Cup led by the Italian Umana Reyer Venice, currently undefeated. After reaching the break with Estudiantes 10 points up (26-36), Wojta (20 points, 6 rebounds and a PIR of 21) started to burn in the second half and, well helped in scoring by Spreafico (14, 4 assists and 15), led the local comeback.
Special mention for Ariztimuño, who had to replace the injured Ygueravide, played 35 minutes and finished with some estimable numbers (6, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 15). The best of the visitors was American center Nadia Fingall (14, 13 rebounds and 22), with some good moments from point guard Laura Méndez (10) and Belgian center Becky Massey (9, 6 and 13. A free throw by De Santiago opened a very even score in the first quarter, in which two triples by Wiliams gave the locals the first advantages (5-3, 8-5) before it ended with the Madrid team ahead (17-18).
The team from the provincial town quickly equalized at the beginning of the second quarter (20-20), but the visitors began to tighten more and more in defense, leaving the Biscayans with 3 points in eight minutes and between Pulliam on the outside and Becky Massey on the inside they hammered the rival rim during a 0-10 (20-30) that gave David Gallego’s men a clear advantage at the break (26-36). In the second half came the Basque reaction, the third quarter 24-10 (50-46) and the comfortable victory of a Gernika that saw the match almost sentenced when they won by 10 points five minutes from the end (58-48) and came to have a 13-point lead (63-50, 65-52) before the final 66-54. On Saturday, a new portion between the two protagonists in Maloste, this time in a league format.
ABSTRACT
Movistar Students (18+18+10+8): Méndez (10), Pulliam (6), De Santiago (5), Billie Massey (2) and Fingall (14) -initial five-; Estebas (2), Mollenhauer (2), Becky Massey (9), Eraunzetamurgil (4) and Espín.
Partials: 17-18, 26-36 (rest), 50-46 and 66-54 (final).
Referees: Diogo Martins (Portugal), Alexandre Maret (France) and Bert van Slooten (Netherlands). Without deleted.
Incidents: Match of the third day of the group stage of the Eurocup played before a few hundred fans in the Maloste pavilion, in Gernika.
Sandra Ygueravide there was a fracture of the first finger of his right hand in last Saturday’s match against Spar Gran Canaria that will force him to undergo surgery. The starting point guard of Anna Montañana’s team, with averages of 11.3 points and 4.2 assists in 29 minutes per game, thus joins the casualties of shooting guard Marta Alberdi and center Nogaye Lowhich have not yet been released this season due to physical problems. Alberdi She was operated on last October for a left shoulder dislocation. International center Nogaye Lo will undergo arthroscopy tomorrow in Bilbao “to solve her problems with her right knee.”