Liga Endesa Round 11 (Regular Season): Murcia defeat Valencia in the game between Top 4 teams

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

An interesting game for UCAM (9-2) which hosted in Murcia second-ranked Valencia (8-2). Third ranked UCAM managed to get a 12-point victory 92-80. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Valencia. It was a key game for the second position in the league. Murcia dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Valencia's 34. They outrebounded Valencia 44-27 including 18 on the offensive glass. American Michael Forrest (185-1999, college: FAU) orchestrated the victory by scoring 30 points. Canadian-Jamaican guard Dylan Ennis (188-1991, college: Oregon) contributed with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. American-North Macedonian Omari Moore (198-2000, college: SJSU) answered with 15 points for Valencia. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. UCAM have a solid series of four victories in a row. Murcia moved-up to second place. Valencia at the other side dropped to the third position with two games lost. Murcia are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Granada (#18) on the road in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Valencia will play against Andorra (#14) and is hoping to win this game.
Liga Endesa top team - Real Madrid (10-1) added another victory to their record. This time they beat eleventh ranked Lleida (4-7) 88-81. It was a great evening for Croatian forward Mario Hezonja (202-1995) who led his team to a victory scoring 22 points (was perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line !!!). Facundo Campazzo helped adding 11 points and 4 assists. Hungarian power forward Gyorgy Goloman (210-1996, college: UCLA) responded with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Real Madrid have an impressive series of nine victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 10-1 record. Lleida lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the thirteenth position with seven games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Real Madrid will play against Unicaja (#6) in Malaga in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Lleida will play on the road against Girona (#15) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game in Barcelona was also quite interesting. 5th ranked Joventut (7-4) played at the court of seventh ranked FC Barcelona (7-4). FC Barcelona defeated Joventut 90-80 on Sunday. It was an exceptional evening for Tomas Satoransky who led the winners and scored 16 points and 7 assists. Ante Tomic came up with 19 points and 7 rebounds for Joventut in the defeat. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for FC Barcelona. Barca moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Joventut and Unicaja. Barca will meet Bilbao (#10) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Joventut will play against Rio Breogan (#9) and hope to secure a win.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 11: Andorra was beaten by Zaragoza on the road 107-89. Girona lost to Tenerife on its own court 89-96. Bilbao unfortunately lost to Rio Breogan in Lugo 99-100. Gran Canaria managed to beat Granada at home 90-85. Manresa defeated Burgos SP on the opponent's court 102-100. Unicaja was beaten by Baskonia in a home game 90-93.
The most impressive performance of 11th round was 23 points and 4 assists by Chris Duarte of Unicaja.



Barca - Joventut 90-80

The game in Barcelona was also quite interesting. 5th ranked Joventut (7-4) played at the court of seventh ranked FC Barcelona (7-4). FC Barcelona defeated Joventut 90-80 on Sunday. It was an exceptional evening for Czech point guard Tomas Satoransky (201-1991, agency: Octagon Europe) who led the winners and scored 16 points and 7 assists. American-Serbian Kevin Punter (193-1993, college: Tennessee) accounted for 20 points for the winning side. Croatian center Ante Tomic (217-1987, agency: VIP Management) came up with 19 points and 7 rebounds and American Cameron Hunt (192-1997, college: Southwestern, KS) added 18 points respectively for Joventut in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for FC Barcelona. Barca moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Joventut and Unicaja. Barca will meet Bilbao (#10) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Joventut will play against Rio Breogan (#9) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Joventut: A.Tomic 19+7reb+1ast, C.Hunt 18+2reb+3ast, Y.Kraag 12+3reb, L.Hakanson 10+1reb+1ast, R.Rubio 7+2reb+6ast, A.Hanga 5+5reb
Barca: P.Kevin 20+2reb, S.Tomas 16+1reb+7ast, H.Willy 13+3reb, C.Myles 11+5reb, P.Joel 8+8reb, L.Nicolas 8+1reb+2ast

Zaragoza - Andorra 107-89

There was a surprise result when sixteenth ranked Zaragoza (4-6) beat at home higher ranked MoraBanc Andorra (4-7) 107-89 on Sunday. Zaragoza had a 24-13 advantage in offensive rebounds. It was an exceptional evening for Canadian guard Trae Bell-Haynes (188-1995, college: Vermont) who led the winners and scored 23 points and 7 assists. American forward Devin Robinson (203-1995, college: Florida) accounted for 23 points and 5 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) for the winning side. American-Guinean point guard Shannon Evans II (185-1994, college: Arizona St.) came up with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Slovakian-American Kyle Kuric (193-1989, college: Louisville) added 21 points respectively for Andorra in the defeat. Four Andorra players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Zaragoza moved-up to eleventh place, which they share with Gran Canaria. Loser MoraBanc Andorra dropped to the thirteenth position with seven games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Zaragoza will meet at home Manresa (#13) in the next round. Andorra will play against Valencia and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Top scorers:
Andorra: K.Kuric 21+1reb+1ast, S.Evans II 17+5reb+5ast, S.Okoye 15+3reb+1ast, R.Luz 11+2reb+5ast, A.Pustovyi 10+1reb, Y.Pons 9+5reb
Zaragoza: B.Trae 23+1reb+7ast, R.Devin 23+5reb+1ast, Y.Santiago 22+4reb+1ast, D.Bojan 9+8reb+2ast, G.Miguel 8+2reb+1ast, R.Joaquin 7+3reb+2ast

Girona - Tenerife 89-96

Very expected game when 10th ranked Basquet Girona (4-7) lost at home to fourth ranked Tenerife (8-3) 96-89 on Saturday. Tenerife made 16-of-19 free shots (84.2 percent) during the game. They shot the lights out from three sinking 18 long-distance shots on high 58.1 percentage. Tenerife looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. It was an exceptional evening for American-Azerbaijani Wesley Van Beck (193-1996, college: Houston) who led the winners and scored 27 points (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field). Brazilian-Italian point guard Marcelinho Huertas (191-1983) accounted for 14 points and 4 assists for the winning side. The former international Sergi Martinez (202-1999) came up with 20 points and 7 rebounds (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field) and American point guard Otis Livingston II (180-1996, college: GMU) added 23 points respectively for Girona in the defeat. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Tenerife maintains fourth place with 8-3 record. Loser Basquet Girona dropped to the thirteenth position with seven games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Tenerife will meet at home Gran Canaria (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Girona will play against Lleida and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Girona: O.Livingston II 23+1ast, S.Martinez 20+7reb+1ast, M.Hughes 13+2reb, J.Fernandez 8+3reb, G.Ferrando 6+1reb+1ast, M.Geben 6+6reb+4ast
Tenerife: V.Wesley 27+2ast, D.Aaron 14+2reb+1ast, H.Marcelinho 14+1reb+4ast, S.Thomas 10+3reb, F.Bruno 8+3reb+8ast, S.Joan 7+5reb+3ast

Rio Breogan - Bilbao 100-99

There was a small surprise when eleventh ranked Breogan Lugo (5-6) edged at home 8th ranked Surne Bilbao (5-6) 100-99 on Sunday. Rio Breogan made 21-of-24 free shots (87.5 percent) during the game. It was an exceptional evening for the former international Francis Alonso (191-1996, college: UNCG) who led the winners and scored 22 points. Croatian center Danko Brankovic (217-2000) accounted for 16 points and 5 rebounds for the winning side. American Darrun Hilliard (198-1993, college: Villanova) came up with 20 points and Swedish point guard Melwin Pantzar (190-2000) added 15 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Bilbao in the defeat. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. Rio Breogan moved-up to ninth place, which they share with Bilbao. Rio Breogan will meet higher ranked Joventut (#7) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Bilbao will play against Barca and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Bilbao: D.Hilliard 20+3reb+2ast, J.Jaworski 17+1ast, M.Pantzar 15+6reb+3ast, M.Krampelj 13+4reb+2ast, T.Hlinason 10+9reb+3ast, M.Normantas 8+3reb+3ast
Rio Breogan: A.Francis 22+1reb, B.Danko 16+5reb, A.Mihailo 13+2reb+4ast, C.Keandre 11+1reb+1ast, K.Arturs 11+3reb+1ast, R.DeWayne 10+2reb+8ast

Lleida - Real Madrid 81-88

Liga Endesa top team - Real Madrid (10-1) added another victory to their record. This time they beat eleventh ranked Lleida (4-7) 88-81. Real Madrid made 26-of-27 charity shots (96.3 percent) during the game. Lleida was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a great evening for Croatian forward Mario Hezonja (202-1995) who led his team to a victory scoring 22 points (was perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line !!!). Argentinian point guard Facundo Campazzo (181-1991) helped adding 11 points and 4 assists. Four Real Madrid players scored in double figures. Hungarian power forward Gyorgy Goloman (210-1996, college: UCLA) responded with 15 points and 8 rebounds and Nigerian-Canadian point guard Caleb Agada (196-1994, college: Ottawa, agency: Blacktop Management) scored 12 points. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Real Madrid have an impressive series of nine victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 10-1 record. Lleida lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the thirteenth position with seven games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Real Madrid will play against Unicaja (#6) in Malaga in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Lleida will play on the road against Girona (#15) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Lleida: G.Goloman 15+8reb, C.Agada 12+2reb+3ast, M.Sanz 10+1reb, C.Walden 10+1reb+4ast, K.Zoriks 8+1reb, J.Shurna 7+4reb+1ast
Real Madrid: H.Mario 22+1ast, P.Gabriele 14+1reb, M.Theo 13+1reb, C.Facundo 11+1reb+4ast, F.Andres 9+1reb+2ast, L.Sergio 8+3reb

Gran Canaria - Granada 90-85

Not a big story in a game when 18th ranked Coviran Granada (1-10) lost to fourteenth ranked Gran Canaria (4-6) in Las Palmas 85-90 on Saturday. However just five-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. Gran Canaria made 29-of-32 free shots (90.6 percent) during the game. It was an exceptional evening for American-Slovenian center Mike Tobey (213-1994, college: Virginia) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 12 rebounds. Argentinian Nicolas Brussino (205-1993) accounted for 16 points for the winning side. Croatian Luka Bozic (200-1996) came up with 13 points and 8 rebounds and American Matt Thomas (195-1994, college: Iowa St.) added 16 points respectively for Granada in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. Gran Canaria moved-up to eleventh place, which they share with Zaragoza. Granada lost their fifth game in a row. They stay at the bottom position with ten games lost. They share it with Burgos SP. Gran Canaria will meet higher ranked Tenerife (#4) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Granada will play against the league's second-placed Murcia (#2) and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Top scorers:
Granada: M.Thomas 16+3reb+3ast, L.Bozic 13+8reb+3ast, B.Burjanadze 11+1reb, L.Costa 10+3reb+4ast, B.Olumuyiwa 8+5reb+1ast, W.Howard 8+3reb
Gran Canaria: W.Isaiah 17+1reb+2ast, B.Nicolas 16+4reb+1ast, T.Mike 12+12reb+2ast, K.Kur 10+4reb, S.Miquel 9+4reb+1ast, V.Eric 7+3reb

Murcia - Valencia 92-80

An interesting game for UCAM (9-2) which hosted in Murcia second-ranked Valencia (8-2). Third ranked UCAM managed to get a 12-point victory 92-80. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Valencia. It was a key game for the second position in the league. Murcia dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Valencia's 34. They outrebounded Valencia 44-27 including 18 on the offensive glass. American Michael Forrest (185-1999, college: FAU) orchestrated the victory by scoring 30 points. Canadian-Jamaican guard Dylan Ennis (188-1991, college: Oregon) contributed with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. American-North Macedonian Omari Moore (198-2000, college: SJSU) answered with 15 points and the former international power forward Jaime Pradilla (202-2001) added 9 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Valencia. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. UCAM have a solid series of four victories in a row. Murcia moved-up to second place. Valencia at the other side dropped to the third position with two games lost. Murcia are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Granada (#18) on the road in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Valencia will play against Andorra (#14) and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Valencia: O.Moore 15+3reb, D.Thompson 13+1reb+2ast, K.Taylor 11+2reb, J.Pradilla 9+7reb+1ast, M.Costello 9+1reb+1ast, B.Badio 6+1reb+1ast
Murcia: F.Michael 30+2reb+3ast, E.Dylan 18+5reb+4ast, S.Howard 10+6reb+1ast, C.Devontae 9+3reb, D.David 7+2reb, R.Sander 7+7reb+1ast

Burgos SP - Manresa 100-102

The game between closely ranked teams ended with sixteenth ranked BAXI Manresa's (4-7) road victory over 17th ranked Burgos (1-10) 102-100 on Saturday. Manresa made 28-of-33 free shots (84.8 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. It was an exceptional evening for Dominican forward Alexis Reyes (201-2002, college: Quinnipiac) who led the winners and scored 20 points and 8 rebounds. The former international point guard Ferran Bassas (181-1992) accounted for 12 points and 10 assists for the winning side. Panamanian-Puerto Rican point guard Jhivvan Jackson (182-1998, college: UTSA) came up with 26 points and American-North Macedonian center Ethan Happ (208-1996, college: Wisconsin) added 15 points and 8 rebounds respectively for Burgos SP in the defeat. Five Manresa and four Burgos SP players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. Manresa moved-up to thirteenth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Burgos SP lost their tenth game in a row. Newly promoted team keeps the seventeenth position with ten games lost. They share it with Granada. Manresa will meet higher ranked Zaragoza (#12) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Burgos SP will play against Baskonia (#8) in Vitoria and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Burgos SP: J.Jackson 26+2ast, C.Gonzalo 15+2reb+5ast, E.Happ 15+8reb+2ast, D.Diez 13+5reb+1ast, L.Fischer 9+6reb, L.Meindl 9+1reb+3ast
Manresa: R.Alexis 20+8reb+2ast, S.Marcis 17+2reb+4ast, O.Pierre 16+6reb, U.Agustin 13+4reb+2ast, B.Ferran 12+1reb+10ast, O.Retin 9+2reb

Unicaja - Baskonia 90-93

There was a minor upset when 6th ranked Unicaja (7-4) was edged by ninth ranked Baskonia (5-5) in Malaga 93-90 on Sunday. Baskonia made 25-of-30 free shots (83.3 percent) during the game. It was an exceptional evening for American-Puerto Rican guard Markus Howard (179-1999, college: Marquette) who led the winners and scored 30 points (was perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line !!!). French swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (198-1995) accounted for 20 points and 5 assists for the winning side. Dominican swingman Chris Duarte (197-1997, college: Oregon) came up with 23 points and 4 assists and French forward Killian Tillie (208-1998, college: Gonzaga) added 12 points respectively for Unicaja in the defeat. Unicaja's coach Ibon Navarro tried various players' combinations and tested in total twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Baskonia moved-up to eighth place. Loser Unicaja dropped to the fifth position with four games lost. They share it with Joventut and Barca. Baskonia will meet at home Burgos SP (#17) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Unicaja will play against the league's leader Real Madrid (#1) and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Top scorers:
Unicaja: C.Duarte 23+3reb+4ast, K.Tillie 12+2reb, A.Rubit 9+2reb, J.Barreiro 8+2reb, T.Kalinoski 7+1reb+3ast, P.Tyson 6+5reb+1ast
Baskonia: H.Markus 30+2ast, L.Timothe 20+3reb+5ast, S.Kobi 18+4reb+3ast, D.Mamadi 7+2reb+1ast, F.Clement 7+5reb, D.Khalifa 5+8reb+1ast