The 22-year-old guard’s second-half performance sealed the win for the Spanish side
Manresa surges past Slask behind brilliant Agustin Ubal
Rapport de match
3 Minute de lecture
Regular Season
Round 11 of 18
Regular Season
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Slask WroclawWKS
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BAXI ManresaMAN
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Overview
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BAXI Manresa claimed a 96-90 road win over Slask Wroclaw on Wednesday night to improve to 6-5 in Group A. The Spanish side pulled away with a composed second-half surge, led by Agustin Ubal, the steady force in control of the game.
‘‘We did what the coach told us in the locker room, so we won,’’ said the 22-year-old guard after a career-high performance. ‘‘They started really good, but we changed the game, we changed the pace. We took the road win.’’
Ubal finished the night with 21 points and 5 rebounds, providing the offensive spark for Manresa. He stepped up in the absence of Manresa’s star guard Hugo Benitez and was key in keeping the team alive during early struggles in the first half, while driving the comeback in the second half.
The third quarter proved decisive for the Spanish side. Trailing in the first half and having trouble matching Slask’s offensive rhythm, Manresa returned from the locker room with more aggression, outscoring the hosts 10-21 to seize the momentum.
‘‘In the third quarter everything changed,’’ said Manresa coach Diego Ocampo after the game. ‘‘We started defending much better the one-on-one on the perimeter… We controlled the rebounds and then we could run fast breaks and score easy baskets. We didn’t have control of the game until the last 30 seconds, because Wroclaw kept playing very hard, they played different kinds of defense... But we were able to move the ball and look for solutions.’’
In a back-and-forth fourth quarter, Eli Brooks stepped up, helping the visitors close out the game. Making his EuroCup debut with Manresa, the American guard showed up when it mattered, finishing with 19 points and 6 assists and playing a key role in the team’s comeback.
Every player who saw minutes for Manresa contributed on the scoreboard, with Pierre Oriola adding 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Retin Obasohan chipping in 12 points. The key factor in the team’s victory was its control of the boards, grabbing a total of 45 rebounds, including 17 offensive boards, creating second-chance opportunities and dominating the paint.
Noah Kirkwood led Slask Wroclaw with 19 points, supported by Kadre Gray’s 17 points and 7 assists, Jakub Urbaniak’s 16 points, and Stefan Dordevic’s double-double. Yet, 16 turnovers proved costly, and the team’s combined effort was not enough to stop Manresa. Slask held an 11-point lead at halftime but gave up 53 points in the second half.
Both teams will be on the road in Round 12, with BAXI Manresa facing Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem and Slask Wroclaw taking on U-BT Cluj-Napoca.
