A prestigious victory for Spar Girona on the road at Gran Canaria. Although the home team started by dominating the first quarter, Uni turned the game around in the second and sealed the win in the third, with a strong performance on both sides of the court, winning 41-82.
Imani Tate led the early stages of the game to give Spar Girona the lead. The American scored six points to put the score at 2-8. However, Gran Canaria reacted with two consecutive baskets from Gretter and free throws from Contell, tying the game at 8. Sandra’s entry gave Spar some breathing room, scoring two three-pointers and eight consecutive points (13-16). However, the Canarian response was quick, with Ezeigbo’s basket, free throws from Erjavec (putting the hosts ahead), and Contell’s final shot (19-16).
The second quarter started with missed shots under the basket by us, a situation that the home team took advantage of to go up by +5 (Ezeigbo’s basket, 21-16). However, Mack’s entry allowed Uni to score the first points (23-20) and get within a point with Migna’s entry (25-23). Becker scored with the help of the backboard (25-22), and Cesar called a timeout to manage the final four minutes. Mack’s physical play under the basket brought the visitors back to within one point. Then, despite shooting errors from both teams, Lundquist and Tate put Uni ahead with individual plays, and a fast break finished by Bibby confirmed an 0-8 run (25-30). Despite Gran Canaria’s adjustments, Uni’s solid defense shut down their final attacks, and Bibby converted another fast break after Canella’s steal (25-32).
In the second half, Spar continued its strong play, thanks in part to Natasha’s intimidating presence in the paint. The Girona team used this momentum to elevate their offensive game, playing a more collective style and scoring from all positions to establish a +22 lead, highlighted by three-pointers from Tate, Ygueravide, and Touré (30-52). Aenas called a timeout with 1:48 left, but Klara Lundquist extended the lead with her third consecutive basket (seven straight points, 30-55). Then, despite Erjavec’s basket, Touré and Pierre-Louis entered and closed the quarter with a +27 advantage for the visitors (32-59).
The final quarter began with two consecutive three-pointers from Carol (32-62 and 34-65), setting the tone for Uni. Hristova extended the lead (36-67), and soon after, an assist from Ainhoa allowed Mack to score, pushing the lead to +30 (36-69). The Girona team continued to shoot well, with Ainhoa adding to the score (36-71), before Carol capped a fast break to solidify the visitors’ dominance (36-73), reaching 10 points for the game. Hristova stayed hot with a driving layup (36-75), and finally, another fast break by Ainhoa pushed the score to 36-77. Ygueravide reached 14 points with a three-pointer (38-80), and Spar Girona won 41-82 on the road.
