Baskonia snapped its long road losing streak by downing Efes 75-89 in Istanbul
Kurucs, Forrest lead Baskonia to rare road win
Ανάλυση αγώνα
3 Χρόνος Ανάγνωσης
Regular Season
Round 22 of 38
Regular Season
Anadolu Efes IstanbulEFS
7589
Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-GasteizKBA
Overview
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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz shook off some pressure at Turkcell Basketball Development Center, ending one of the longest road losing streaks in competition history. Baskonia entered the game with 19 straight losses in away games. Its last road had come against Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv, 85-95, at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia on December 17, 2024.
That changed in Round 22, as Baskonia topped Anadolu Efes Istanbul 75-89 to go up to 8-14 in the standings. It was not easy, as Baskonia had the final word in a game that saw 16 lead changes in the opening three quarters. Once Baskonia took the lead, however, it managed to keep it for good.
"Every win has to be celebrated, because in this league, it's a very, very tough to win on the road," Baskonia coach Paolo Galbiati said after the game. "I'm happy to see the face of the guys at the end of the game, because we had a big monkey [on our backs] here, and now I hope they stay far from us for a long time."
Rodions Kurucs played a critical role throughout the second half, scoring 12 of his team-high 18 points after the break. Kurucs capped a 0-7 run with a bomb from downtown that put Baskonia ahead for good, 59-65. By the time he made free throws for a 75-85 score already in the final minute. Kurucs was all smiles, knowing his team finally ended its losing streak.
"I think it was a great collective effort. We all contributed for our team and did what we were supposed to do, get a win in an away game, which was a tough travel and a tough game, tough court, so I'm really happy for the team," Kurucs said after the game. "I feel like staying together, helping each other out, supporting each other, bringing the energy from the bench, both sides, starting five and bench five, and also supporting [each other] and talking, communication. were the biggest keys today."
He got plenty of help from Trent Forrest, who is back to his best form. Forrest had 6 points and 2 assists in the fourth quarter. When the dust settled, Forrest finished the game with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for a career-high PIR of 32. After missing 10 games due to injury, it took Forrest a while to find his rhythm. Right before the injury, he led Baskonia to a 105-100 home win over Real Madrid in Spanish League action with 26 points and 7 assists for a PIR of 43. Forrest again showcased his all-around game to lead Baskonia in Istanbul.
After a sub-par first half, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was unstoppable in crunch time, too, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the final 6 minutes of the game. Kobi Simmons was Baskonia's fourth player in double-digits with 14 points. The guests scored 31 fourth-quarter points, making 7 of 9 two-pointers (77.8% 2FG) and all of their 11 free throw attempts, as well as outrebounding Efes 5-10.
"I feel good just doing whatever I can to help our team win, so I'm glad we were able to win. Everybody was making the right play. In the first quarter, we did a pretty good job. The second quarter, we didn't do a good job, and that's kind of when they took the lead. And going into the second half, we knew that's what we needed to do a little more, was just get back to sharing the ball," Forrest said. "We all have guys that can make plays and pass the ball. We definitely have to build on it. We still have a tough stretch coming up, so we just need to keep getting better and learning and hopefully let it carry over to the next game."
Baskonia stays on the road next week, playing against two of the best teams in the competition. It visits Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on January 20 and faces defending champion Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at Ulker Sports and Event Hall on January 23.
