Manresa put up a fight, Tenerife come out on top
In a rematch of last year's Basketball Champions League Final, defending champs Lenovo Tenerife outlasted BAXI Manresa 91-84 to gain a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Quarter-Finals series.
TENERIFE (Spain) - In a rematch of last year's Basketball Champions League Final, the defending champs Lenovo Tenerife outlasted BAXI Manresa 91-84 to gain a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Quarter-Finals series.
Tenerife have extended their home winning streak to 13 games, their longest streak in BCL history.
Turning point: The first 10 minutes belonged to Manresa as they jumped out to a 27-20 lead, but Tenerife erased the deficit by the end of the second quarter and grabbed a 45-40 advantage.
Tenerife kept their momentum going into the second half and stretched their lead out to 11 points heading into the final frame. Manresa narrowed the gap and got to within three points on multiple occasions, but the hosts showed poise and held firm on the way to their seven-point victory.
Game heroes: Tenerife's veterans came through once again.
Giorgi Shermadini finished with a team-high 18 points and 6 rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. The 34-year-old center has now scored at least 16 points in 28 different BCL games, more than any other player in the competition.
Sherminator 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗧 be stopped! 🥴#BasketballCL I @gioshermadini x @CB1939Canarias pic.twitter.com/rmbAJCIUPY
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) April 5, 2023
Sasu Salin recorded 16 points and 4 rebounds and made four of the team's 12 three-pointers, while Marcelinho Heurtas nearly missed a double-double with 13 points and 9 assists along with 3 rebounds, although he did commit 9 turnovers.
Huertas' 9 turnovers are the most for him in a single BCL game and the most by any player in the competition this season.
Stats don't lie: Tenerife didn't have the edge in a lot of the key stats, but they did outscore Manresa by 9 points from three-point range. They also outrebounded Manresa 42-27 and scored 14 second chance points off of nine offensive rebounds.
Bottom line: After the win tonight in Game 1, Tenerife are now one win away from moving to the Final 4, as they look for the series sweep. Manresa, on the other hand, need a win in front of their home fans in Game 2 to stay alive in the best-of-three series. Game 2 is set for Wednesday April 12.
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