Liga Endesa Round 3 (Regular Season): Baskonia storm past Joventut

Round 3 means everything may happen in Liga Endesa as the season just started. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Baskonia smashed Joventut in Vitoria 93-73. Baskonia looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. 25 personal fouls committed by Joventut helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was Dominican guard Chris Duarte (196-1997, college: Oregon) who scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. American-Ivorian guard Kobi Simmons (192-1997, college: Arizona) chipped in 14 points and 5 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was Argentinian guard Nicolas Laprovittola (190-1990) who recorded 15 points and 5 assists. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Joventut will play next round against Barca trying to get back on the winning streak. Baskonia will try to continue on its current victory against Tenerife on the road.
The game in Bilbao was also worth to mention about. Burgos (1-2) played at the court of Surne Bilbao (2-1). Surne Bilbao managed to secure a 9-point victory 96-87. It was a good game for American Darrun Hilliard (198-1993, college: Villanova) who led his team to a victory with 15 points and 5 rebounds. Martin Krampelj contributed with 13 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Guinean-French Sekou Doumbouya (206-2000) answered with 15 points and 7 rebounds for Burgos SP. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Surne Bilbao will play against Real Madrid on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Burgos will play against Obradoiro (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
A very close game took place in Santiago de Compostela between Monbus Obradoiro and Lleida. Monbus Obradoiro (2-1) got a very close home victory over Lleida (1-2). Monbus Obradoiro managed to escape with a 2-point win 91-89 on Sunday evening. It was a great evening for Joel Soriano who led his team to a victory scoring 22 points and 9 rebounds. The best for the losing side was Darius McGhee with 23 points and 5 assists. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. Monbus Obradoiro will meet Burgos SP (#9) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Lleida will play against Zaragoza and hope to win that game.

Other games of round 3 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Zaragoza crushed Coruna in a road game 92-71. Bottom-ranked Unicaja beat Andorra at home 92-84. Girona lost to undefeated Rio Breogan on the opponent's court 92-115. Real Madrid outscored Manresa in a home game 120-83. Tenerife managed to beat Murcia on the road 90-77. Barca defeated Valencia on its own court 89-86.
The best stats of 3rd round was 10 points and 13 rebounds by Tyrese Martin of Barca.



Coruna - Zaragoza 71-92:
But Coruna was not able to use a home court advantage and was crushed by the opponent from Zaragoza 92-71 on Saturday night. Zaragoza shot the lights out from three sinking 15 long-distance shots on high 68.2 percentage. It was a great evening for Lithuanian center Laurynas Birutis (213-1997) who led his team to a victory scoring 14 points and 8 rebounds. Canadian guard Trae Bell-Haynes (188-1995, college: Vermont) helped adding 14 points. Four Zaragoza players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American point guard Alonzo Verge Jr (191-1998, college: Nebraska, agency: Octagon Europe) with 11 points and Jacobo Diaz (206-1996, college: IUP) scored 9 points and 5 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Zaragoza will meet at home Lleida (#15) in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Coruna will play against Girona (#10) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Zaragoza: J.Justin 17+1ast, H.Caleb 15+1reb, B.Laurynas 14+8reb+2ast, B.Trae 14+4reb+2ast, F.Jaime 9+3reb, B.Roberts 8+4reb+1ast
Coruna: T.Dimsa 12+1reb+1ast, A.Verge Jr 11+2reb+3ast, J.Diaz 9+5reb, D.Radoncic 9+1reb+1ast, L.Uleckas 7+6reb, K.Silins 7+2reb

Unicaja - Andorra 92-84:
There was a small surprise in Malaga where Unicaja (1-2) defeated MoraBanc Andorra (0-2) 92-84 on Saturday. It was a great evening for Canadian-Lithuanian swingman Ignas Brazdeikis (201-1999, college: Michigan) who led his team to a victory scoring 19 points and 5 assists. French Amine Noua (202-1997) helped adding 16 points and 9 rebounds. Five Unicaja players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was Ukrainian center Artem Pustovyi (219-1992, agency: Octagon Europe) with 19 points and 9 rebounds (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field) and American point guard James Akinjo (185-2000, college: Baylor) scored 20 points and 7 assists. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Unicaja will meet Manresa (#18) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. MoraBanc Andorra will play against Rio Breogan and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Unicaja: B.Ignas 19+4reb+5ast, N.Amine 16+9reb, H.Cameron 14+2reb+2ast, P.Melwin 12+4reb+3ast, K.David 12+5reb+1ast, P.Kendrick 12+1reb+2ast
Andorra: J.Akinjo 20+1reb+7ast, A.Pustovyi 19+9reb, K.Kuric 11+2reb+1ast, L.Radosevic 8+5reb+1ast, C.McGriff 7+1reb, W.Iwundu 5+1ast

Rio Breogan - Girona 115-92:
Very expected game when Basquet Girona (1-2) was rolled over on the road by Breogan Lugo (3-0) 115-92 on Saturday. Rio Breogan forced 21 Girona turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. It was a great evening for the former international Francis Alonso (191-1996, college: UNCG) who led his team to a victory scoring 27 points and 5 assists. American guard Tevin Brown (195-1998, college: Murray St.) helped adding 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. The best for the losing side was Dominican swingman Jassel Perez (195-2001) with 18 points and 6 assists and American guard Mac McClung (188-2000, college: Texas Tech) scored 20 points and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Breogan Lugo will meet Andorra (#16) on the road in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Basquet Girona will play against Coruna (#11) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Rio Breogan: A.Francis 27+2reb+5ast, B.Tevin 20+5reb+4ast, M.Dominik 15+1reb+4ast, B.Rasir 11+3reb+5ast, A.Aleksandar 8+3reb, I.Aleksa 8+6reb+1ast
Girona: M.McClung 20+2reb+4ast, J.Perez 18+4reb+6ast, S.Martinez 14+8reb+1ast, J.Busquets 11+3reb+2ast, N.Maric 6+3reb, A.Kunc 5+3reb

Obradoiro - Lleida 91-89:
A very close game took place in Santiago de Compostela between Monbus Obradoiro and Lleida. Monbus Obradoiro (2-1) got a very close home victory over Lleida (1-2). Monbus Obradoiro managed to escape with a 2-point win 91-89 on Sunday evening. Obradoiro dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Lleida's 36. It was a great evening for Dominican center Joel Soriano (208-2000, college: St.John's) who led his team to a victory scoring 22 points and 9 rebounds. Brazilian Leonardo Meindl (201-1993) helped adding 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. The best for the losing side was American-Armenian point guard Darius McGhee (175-1999, college: Liberty) with 23 points and 5 assists and Mikel Sanz (201-1999) scored 15 points and 6 rebounds. Four Lleida players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. Monbus Obradoiro will meet Burgos SP (#9) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Lleida will play against Zaragoza and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Obradoiro: S.Joel 22+9reb+1ast, A.Caleb 12+2reb+2ast, M.Leonardo 11+8reb+4ast, G.Alejandro 11+3reb, D.Felipe 10+1reb, B.Alex 7+7reb+1ast
Lleida: D.McGhee 23+2reb+5ast, M.Sanz 15+6reb+2ast, J.Batemon 12+1reb+2ast, M.Ejim 10+3reb, Z.Perrin 8+4reb+1ast, O.Pauli 7+10reb+4ast

Real Madrid - Manresa 120-83:
Very predictable result when Real Madrid (3-0) outscored at home Manresa (0-3) 120-83 on Sunday. Real Madrid made 30-of-39 free shots (76.9 percent) during the game, while Manresa only scored twelve points from the stripe. They outrebounded Manresa 46-25 including a 29-16 advantage in defensive rebounds. Real Madrid looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. It was a great evening for French center Olivier Sarr (212-1999, college: Kentucky) who led his team to a victory scoring 16 points. Argentinian guard Facundo Campazzo (181-1991) helped adding 8 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. The best for the losing side was Bulgarian Yordan Minchev (205-1998) with 13 points and 5 rebounds and American forward Timmy Allen (198-2000, college: Texas) scored 11 points and 5 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Real Madrid will meet at home Bilbao (#6) in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Manresa will play against Unicaja (#12) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Real Madrid: S.Olivier 16+4reb+2ast, P.Gabriele 15+2reb, S.Nick 14+4reb+1ast, O.Chuma 11+2reb, M.Theo 10+1reb+3ast, P.Jaime 10+9reb+1ast
Manresa: Y.Minchev 13+5reb, C.Agbo Jr. 12+1reb+1ast, T.Allen 11+5reb+2ast, N.Ongenda 10, H.Benitez 8+1reb+5ast, L.Kolenda 8+2reb+3ast

Murcia - Tenerife 77-90:
But UCAM was not able to use a home court advantage and was defeated by the opponent from Tenerife 90-77 on Sunday night. Tenerife made 28-of-32 free shots (87.5 percent) during the game. It was a great evening for Brazilian-Italian point guard Marcelinho Huertas (191-1983) who led his team to a victory scoring 19 points and 5 assists. American Kyle Guy (188-1997, college: Virginia) helped adding 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line). Four Tenerife players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was Canadian-Jamaican guard Dylan Ennis (188-1991, college: Oregon) with 14 points and Romanian center Emanuel Cate (207-1997) scored 12 points and 7 rebounds. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Tenerife will meet at home Baskonia in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. UCAM will play against Valencia (#13) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Tenerife: H.Marcelinho 19+5ast, H.Vincent 16+3reb, G.Kyle 15+5reb+4ast, F.Bruno 12+4reb+1ast, F.Jaime 7+3reb+1ast, A.Tim 5+3reb
Murcia: D.Ennis 14+3reb+3ast, J.Pansa 13+5reb+1ast, E.Cate 12+7reb, J.Radebaugh 8+3ast, M.Forrest 8+2reb+3ast, W.Falk 7+6reb

Baskonia - Joventut 93-73:
Baskonia smashed Joventut in Vitoria 93-73. Baskonia looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. 25 personal fouls committed by Joventut helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was Dominican guard Chris Duarte (196-1997, college: Oregon) who scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. American-Ivorian guard Kobi Simmons (192-1997, college: Arizona) chipped in 14 points and 5 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was Argentinian guard Nicolas Laprovittola (190-1990) who recorded 15 points and 5 assists and Bosnian-Finnish power forward Emir Sulejmanovic (205-1995) added 12 points and 5 rebounds respectively. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Joventut will play next round against Barca trying to get back on the winning streak. Baskonia will try to continue on its current victory against Tenerife on the road.
Top scorers:
Baskonia: S.Kobi 14+4reb+5ast, D.Chris 13+5reb+5ast, F.Kenneth 12+6reb+1ast, K.Rodions 12+5reb+4ast, L.A.J. 9+2reb+2ast, B.Damion 8+2reb+4ast
Joventut: N.Laprovittola 15+2reb+5ast, E.Sulejmanovic 12+5reb+2ast, K.Cheatham Jr. 12+3reb+1ast, A.Reyes 11+4reb+1ast, S.Birgander 10+6reb, R.Rubio 5+6reb+7ast

Bilbao - Burgos SP 96-87:
The game in Bilbao was also worth to mention about. Burgos (1-2) played at the court of Surne Bilbao (2-1). Surne Bilbao managed to secure a 9-point victory 96-87. Bilbao made 21-of-27 charity shots (77.8 percent) during the game. It was a good game for American Darrun Hilliard (198-1993, college: Villanova) who led his team to a victory with 15 points and 5 rebounds. Slovenian Martin Krampelj (206-1995, college: Creighton) contributed with 13 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Guinean-French Sekou Doumbouya (206-2000) answered with 15 points and 7 rebounds and Serbian Dusan Radosavljevic (201-2001) added 11 points and 9 rebounds in the effort for Burgos SP. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Surne Bilbao will play against Real Madrid on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Burgos will play against Obradoiro (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Bilbao: H.Darrun 15+5reb, N.Margiris 14+1reb+2ast, K.Martin 13+5reb, F.Harald 10+2reb+2ast, H.Tryggvi 9+6reb+2ast, D.Nate 9+2reb+3ast
Burgos SP: S.Doumbouya 15+7reb+1ast, D.Steward 12+2reb+3ast, B.Koprivica 12+7reb+2ast, R.Dusan 11+9reb+3ast, D.Diez 9+5reb+1ast, C.Audige 7

Barca - Valencia 89-86:
FC Barcelona used a home court advantage and edged the opponent from Valencia 89-86 on Sunday night. Barca made 19-of-24 free shots (79.2 percent) during the game. It was a great evening for American forward Tyrese Martin (198-1999, college: UConn) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 13 rebounds. His fellow American import guard Justin Robinson (185-1997, college: Virginia Tech) helped adding 12 points and 6 assists. Four FC Barcelona players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American-North Macedonian guard TJ Shorts (175-1997, college: UC Davis) with 19 points and 4 assists and American guard Armoni Brooks (194-1998, college: Houston) scored 11 points. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. FC Barcelona will meet Joventut (#17) in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Valencia will play against Murcia (#14) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Barca: P.Kevin 13+2reb+4ast, R.Justin 12+2reb+6ast, N.Josh 12+4reb+1ast, M.Tyrese 10+13reb+2ast, B.Aleksander 9+3reb+1ast, P.Joel 8+5reb+1ast
Valencia: T.Shorts 19+1reb+4ast, A.Brooks 11+4reb+1ast, N.Mirotic 10+2reb+1ast, O.Moore 9+3reb, N.Reuvers 8+3reb, J.Rivero 7+1reb+1ast