Gran Canaria smiled last

It was difficult for him to wake up Gran Canaria, but when he did, it happened in a big way. TAfter many moments of anxiety, Lakovic’s pupils emerged in the last 10 minutes to fasten the first European victory of the course in this first match.

Benite could not start his career better as the Gran Canaria player. In his debut with the island entity, also as a starter, the Brazilian shooting guard hit two consecutive triples to give his team the first advantage: 6-5. JLakovic’s team was struggling against a structured Slasl Wroclaw, his academic basketball. Kolenda marked territory against the local jam, and at 13-19, the work of Parakhouski, forced the yellow bench to request their first time out. Given Granca’s concern, his usual lifesaver emerged powerful, an AJ Slaughter who kept him in the game when his first 10 minutes were consumed: 20-24.

Lakovic’s host reacted timidly at the dawn of the second period, when a triple by Bassas for 26-25 gave him his advantage of the match after those two triples by Benite. Far from reacting, a timid Gran Canaria seemed mired in an almost permanent traffic jamtaking advantage of the occasion Martin to give Slask the 34-41 which meant the biggest difference so far in the entire game.

When it was worse, the local formation reacted better, signing a 6-0 run started by a powerful mate by Diop, followed by a triple from Slaughter and sealed by a delicacy from Brussino on the counterattack to go to the changing rooms, as befits in rest time, with almost maximum equality crowning the sky of the soulless Gran Canaria Arena: 40-41.

Lakovic’s group knew how to wait for their moment to get into the game by montera, and that Slask never seemed to give up. Three triples by Bassas and Brussino kept their team on track, 48-49, but until then Kolanda had not appeared. When he did, he seemed unstoppable, seven consecutive points of his that kept his team ahead: 58-63. Gran Canaria was not comfortable, but it was already a tremendous consolation not to find themselves with the game lost no matter how badly they were playing. And it was even 64-64 at the end of the third quarter after a three-pointer by Bassas that was the prelude to Gran Canaria’s takeoff.

And the locals saved the best for last. Two other triples, now from Slaughter, already had the islanders ahead, 72-70, and another from Bassas, who had entered a trance, five shots from beyond 6.75 in total, gave his team the maximum advantage. Slask seemed to trust Kolenda with everything at the time, but Gran Canaria clung to the attacking expertise of Bassas, Slaughter and Diop to clinch their first Eurocup victory on matchday one of the second continental competition. He smiled last and, of course, he did better.