The Río Breogán de Lugo achieved a solid victory this Thursday on the track of UCAM Murcia (70-84) in a match in which he always commanded.
The contribution of the American pivot was especially key Ethan Happ, with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and a PIR of 33 in his debut in Spain; that of his compatriot Scott Bamforth, author of 17 points; and the three triples scored by Sergi García in the last quarter against a rival that has lacked continuity, that has lacked strength on the rebound and that has collapsed at the end.
It was a duel between teams with two very different squads compared to last season -eight signings at UCAM and ten at Breogán- and the staging was clearly better than the team coached by Veljko Mrsic.
The Galician team, which had the loss of the injured Erik Quintela. started with much more vigor and success and Sito Alonso was forced to request the first time out of the match in just three minutes and with his team nine points down after conceding a triple scored by a former like Bamforth (2-11).
Back on the track, the locals intensified their defense and with a couple of three-pointers converted by Travis Trice and Thad McFadden they got closer on the scoreboard (10-13). However, the reaction did not continue and Breogán closed the quarter with a five-goal lead (17-22).
ABSTRACT
(6).
84 Breogán River in Lugo (22+17+18+27): Hollatz (10), Bamforth (17), Momirov (-), Lukovic (4) and Happ (19) -five starting-, Sergi García (12), Nenadic (11), Brajkovic (2), Sergi Quintela (4 ), Arteaga (-) and Nakic (5).
referees: Daniel Hierrezuelo Navas, Alberto Sánchez Sixto and Roberto Lucas Martínez. Without eliminated.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the first day of the Endesa Basketball League that was played at the Palacio de los Deportes de Murcia before 5,126 spectators.
The feeling was that those in light blue set the pace and controlled the situation against those in maroon, who they were unable to count on their captain, Sadiel Rojas, due to the two-game ban that he carried from the previous year.
In a second quarter of offensive jamming (6-5 in more than five minutes), the difference was maintained and extended after two triples in a row from Bamforth, who already had 13 of the 33 points for his team, who led 25-33 against an opponent who was too erratic in his first season. Even so, the university team remained close due to some isolated actions by Jordan Davis and Trice and the break was reached 34-39 in the Palacio de los Deportes electronics.
Happ did damage in the zone of a UCAM CB that did not have clear ideas and, in addition, missed James Anderson’s points -he finished with only three points-.
The consequence of this was that Breogán kept his cushion already within the last two minutes of the third quarter (46-54).
Trice wanted to come to the rescue of his team but not even with those did the Murcians get fully into the match and began the final period with a -6 (51-57).
The continuity that the university students had lacked finally seemed to find it at the beginning of that quarter and a 7-2 run in three and a half minutes allowed them to narrow the figures to 58-59. Mrsic stopped it with time out and two triples in a row by Sergi García and two inside baskets by an immeasurable Happ gave the Lugo team a lot of air to the point that they reached their maximum advantage in the match and already four three from the conclusion (63-73).
Sergi García, from almost nine meters, nailed it again and sentenced the clash (65-76) and the final stages became a formality.
The final 70-84 reflects what happened in a match in which the Galicians captured 41 rebounds for the 28 of the Murcians, another differential factor.
