Joventut controlled the game with Tenerife
Joventut Badalona won a very important game against La Laguna Tenerife yesterday in front of 7000 fans in a game that counted for Round 14 of the Spanish Liga Endesa.
In a very balanced league it’s crucial to win the home games against teams that fight for the same goals (in case of Joventut and Tenerife it’s a playoff spot) and Badalona started the game very well, quickly building a 7 point lead (11-4) after 3 minutes of play. However, Tenerife managed to fight back and won the first quarter (18-19). After a 5-0 Joventut run to start the 2nd quarter Tenerife responded with a 8-0 run and got back in the lead (24-27). From this point on however the hosts started to take control of the game: after Cameron Hunt scored a 2 pointer for a 30-29 lead Joventut never lost the lead again and got a much deserved win with the final score of 78-67.
Veteran superstar Ricky Rubio was the best player for the winning team with a PIR of 20. He had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists for another all-around great performance. Cameron Hunt was the leading scorer with 17 points, while Sam Dekker finished with 14 points and 4 rebounds. For Tenerife, Tim Abromaitis had the best performance, scoring 14 points, while Marcelinho Huertas and Wesley Van Beck had 11 points each.
Joventut really struggled at the free-throw line, missing a total of 9 free throws and finishing with a very modest 10/19 from the line. However, the hosts had a better percentage from the 3-point line and took much better care of the ball, finishing with 7 turnovers compared to Tenerife’s 15.
With this win, Daniel Miret’s team improved to 9-5 and has the same record as the team they just beat, as Tenerife and Joventut now share the 5th place in the standings. In the next round, Joventut will travel to Burgos while Tenerife will play at home against Lleida.
Imre Halasz
Photo credit: Joventut Badalona
