Tenerife truncates Manresa’s dream and wins its second Champions


  • The Canarian team shows its superiority against a historic Manresa (87-98) and is proclaimed FIBA ​​champion

  • The Catalan team, which reached its first European final accompanied by some 5,000 fans in Bilbao, lacked success in the second half.

The stands of the Bilbao Arena rumbled while the Lenovo Tenerife became champion of the Champions. It is the second time that the Canarian team wins the European title, signing a brilliant season for the club. The island victory cut short the dream of Baxi Manresa, that he was unable to complete the party on a date in which he was accompanied by about 5,000 fans.

Tenerife jumped onto the track with the confidence of someone who has already reigned in Europe. But a team was waiting for him in front of him that did not allow them to have, from the beginning, the superiority they expected. With Moneke as top scorer -with 12 points in the first quarter-, those of Peter Martinez they showed the temperament and effectiveness they lacked on Friday. And he stood up to the team that failed to win last week in the ACB, putting a very tight score. They lacked, however, defensive solidity, which they made up for with fouls.

The intensity of the game did not cease at any time, and during the first half, there was no clear winner. Although Vidorreta’s men always gave a sensation of simplicity, Moneke continued to seal an almost perfect game together with Dani Pérez who surpassed the defense without difficulties. The stands of the Bilbao Arena resonated with the Camp Nou classic “A match day”. And they gave their team the boost they needed to close the first half with a tight 50-49.

Superiority of Tenerife

In the second half, Manresa He did not know how to stop the transitions of Tenerife and they easily went 0-6 in favor after the break. And it would get worse. While in the first half the maximum distance was seven points, with 9-16 and 25-32, the Canarian club acquired a lead of 10, leading 56-66 in the third quarter.

And although the players did not lower their arms, the success of the first half vanished, scoring only six points in six minutes. Neither Shermadini’s unsportsmanlike nor the subsequent three-pointer changed the pace of the game. The success of Txus Vidorreta’s team contrasted with the bad dynamics in which the Catalan team had entered. The 17-33 run in the third quarter absolutely changed the game and forced them to a hasty comeback.

With nine minutes to go, Manresa was 15 points behind. And the Tenerife supremacy was gaining more and more strength. The difficulty in scoring by Pedro Martínez’s block, who couldn’t close the gap even with four consecutive offensive rebounds, contrasted with the ease that the Canaries continued to have.

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The players on the bench, with the yellow elastic, stood up and smiled at each basket. His second Champions League was getting closer. Manresa looked for the triple from every inch of the track but without success. Two minutes from the end, even the 5,000 people from Manresa changed their incessant screams for faces of despair.

“We are a humble club with a great history. We believe that not everything is winning or losing. Of course we always want to win. We would have liked for our people. This is part of the sport. And when you lose you have to accept defeat and learn”, assured Pedro Martínez at the end of the game.

BAXI Manresa 87- Lenovo Tenerife 98

BAXI Manresa: Dani Pérez (12), Francisco (12), Valtonen (2), Moneke (24) and Bako (2) -initial five-; Thomasson (15), Vaulet (6), Maye (10), Sima (4), Rafa Martínez, Steinbergs and Naspler.

Lenovo Tenerife: Marcelinho Huertas (13), Salin (18), Sastre (9), Doornekamp (11) and Guerra (4) -initial five-; Fitipaldo (7), Wiltjer (17), Shermadini (14), Dejan Todorovic, Sulejmanovic (5), Sean Smith and Sergio Rodríguez.

Partials: 25-27, 25-22, 17-33 and 20-16.

referees: Manuel Mazzoni (ITA), Yohan Rosso (FRA) and Wojciech Liszla (POL). Without eliminated.



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