Spar Girona made the most of their home advantage at Fontajau and secured a hard-fought 72-62 victory over Baxi Ferrol this Saturday. With this win, the Girona side confirmed their place in the Liga Femenina Endesa semifinals, where they will face Casademont Zaragoza. After an even first half, Uni delivered a strong second half to seal the win in front of their fans. Pierre-Louis led the offensive effort with 16 points.
After a start marked by mistakes from both teams in ball distribution, Pierre-Louis’ dominance inside the paint gave Girona a one-point lead (4-3). Soon after, Canella stunned Baxi with two three-pointers (12-9), although Mataix quickly answered from deep (13-12). Marta took over the offensive responsibilities for Spar, scoring a drive to reach eight points, but Mataix once again replied from mid-range (15-14). Near the end of the quarter, Girona struggled to score, and Pospísilová put Ferrol ahead again (15-17). Nevertheless, Íñiguez’s players stepped up defensively, stalling Ferrol’s offense: Sandra tied the game, and Tate drove to reclaim the lead, although she missed the additional free throw (19-17). In the final possession, Menéndez scored with a floater to tie it at 19.
Uni’s strong defense continued into the second quarter, and Carol Guerrero capitalized on gaps in Ferrol’s defense to score (23-19). Although Mestres narrowed the gap with a three-pointer, a free throw and a fast-break basket from Pierre-Louis restored a +4 advantage (26-22). However, Sánchez scored and added a free throw to bring Ferrol within one, prompting Roberto to call timeout midway through the second quarter (26-25). Despite the instructions, Sánchez hit a triple to put Ferrol ahead. Again, Girona’s offense went cold, allowing Ferrol to extend their lead with points from Melia, Joiner, and Mataix (28-33). With a minute left before halftime, Klara Lundquist hit two free throws, and Lino called timeout to organize his team (30-33). Neither side was effective offensively, leading Lino to call another timeout with 19 seconds left. Girona’s defense held strong, and Roberto used his timeout at 3 seconds, but Bobi’s shot missed, leaving Baxi ahead at halftime (30-33).
After the break, Uni Girona found a new spark: Borislava Hristova, who scored 7 quick points to flip the scoreboard and force Lino to call a timeout (37-33). Uni remained solid defensively, although Pospísilová scored from the free-throw line, and Hristova added another basket under the hoop to complete a 9-point streak (39-34). Although Uni had a small lead, Pospísilová and Joiner narrowed the gap (39-38), but Canella responded with a fadeaway shot (41-38). Menéndez tied the game from deep, but Ygueravide immediately answered (44-41). Millan then hit Ferrol’s third consecutive three-pointer to tie it again (44-44). In the final minute of the quarter, Girona tightened up defensively and took a six-point lead through Pierre-Louis, Sandra, and Klara’s baskets (50-44).
With momentum building, the Girona side began the final quarter with an extra gear: Vi’s drive, Klara’s triple, and another inside play by Pierre-Louis pushed the lead to +11 (57-46). Despite Lino’s efforts to adjust, Vionise’s physical dominance was decisive, as she scored her 16th point (59-46). After Mataix’s basket, Íñiguez substituted Pierre-Louis, who left the court to a standing ovation from Fontajau. In the closing minutes, both teams traded baskets, with Canella, Bobi, and Carol standing out (65-53). However, a triple from Sánchez and a layup by Pospísilová pulled Ferrol back within seven points (65-58). With two minutes left, Guerrero scored again inside (67-58), and Spar Girona closed out the win 72-62.
