ESP – Llull to the rescue for Real

MADRID (ACB) - Sergio Llull is as fearless a competitor as there is in Spain's ACB so it wasn't surprising when the national team guard wound up with the ball in his hands in the closing seconds for Real Madrid and scored to help them avoid an upset against visiting Fuenlabrada on Sunday.

Llull, with his team trailing 75-74, drove into the lane, stopped short of a wall of Fuenlabrada defenders and left his feet before releasing a game-winning shot from several feet away.

Clay Tucker then blocked Leo Mainold's fall-away shot from the baseline after a Fuenlabrada timeout to preserve the Madrid victory - their 14th in 17 ACB games.

Nikola Mirotic had 19 points and Llull 15 for Madrid, who are second to Regal Barcelona in mid-season though both sides have the same record.

Barca won their encounter on December 30, 95-75.

Fuenlabrada's 18-year-old African sensation Bismack Biyombo provided some high-light reel moments with six points - four of them coming on dunks - and three swats.

Coach Xavier Pascual, who only last week signed a two-year extension at Barcelona, steered his team to a 78-75 win at Lagun Aro GBC in San Sebastian on Saturday night.

Leading Spain international, Juan Carlos Navarro, was in vintage form for Barca with 22 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Blancos de Rueda Valladolid clinched fourth place at the half-way point of the season with a 78-64 victory over third-place Caja Laboral.

Federico Van Lacke had 14 points and six steals for the Valladolid side.

All good things come to an end, and so it proved for Power Electronics Valencia on Sunday when Asefa Estudiantes snapped the hosts’ nine-game winning streak with 8,000 spectators watching inside the Fuente San Luis.

The result allowed Blancos de Rueda to leapfrog Valencia, who dropped to sixth place.

"Asefa Estudiantes played excellent team defense and attacked from the first minute and we didn't control our emotions," Valencia coach Svetislav Pesic said.

"We have to look at why we didn't play at our best level."

Estudiantes coach Luis Casimiro, whose side takes on CEZ Nymburk in Madrid on Tuesday in the Eurocup, said: "Relying on the defense, we achieved an important victory for us."

Estu (7-10) got contributions from everyone, including Great Britain international Dan Clark.

The 22-year-old came off the bench and scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and played excellent defense.

Back-up point guard Albert Oliver didn't score until the final minutes when he hit two key three-pointers, the second of which came after Valencia had cut a 14-point deficit to just five.

Bizkaia Bilbao Basket moved into fifth place at 10-7 after a 91-77 home triumph over Cajasol Sevilla.

Spain international Alex Mumbru finished with 17 points for Bilbao.

DKV Joventut are seventh and in the Copa del Rey after an 84-80 home triumph over CAI Zaragoza.

Pepu Hernandez's side rebounded from their tough midweek defeat at Caja Laboral when they also lost center Henk Norel to a knee injury.

Canada international Carl English once again rose to the occasion for DKV, hitting four of six shots from long range and scoring a game-high 25 points.

English has been on a tear of late.

In his last five games, he has averaged 25.4 points for DKV.

Also in the Copa are Gran Canaria, who moved into eighth-place with a 67-50 triumph at Unicaja Malaga.

Pedro Martinez's side held Unicaja to just four second-quarter points in taking a 26-19 lead to half-time.

Tomas Bellas was the only Gran Canaria player to reach double figures with 10 points.

Menorca Basquet ended their six-game losing run with a 63-53 road victory at Assignia Manresa.

Cuthbert Victor scored 17 points and Israel international Raviv Limonad had 12 for Menorca.

They are still second bottom, though, because the team right above them, Meridiano Alicante, destroyed visiting CB Granada 86-49.

Granada, who came oh so close to winning against Unicaja in midweek, are in the ACB basement with three wins and 14 defeats.

FIBA