Spanish Liga Endesa: Valencia and Barca still Perfect
Only two teams remain undefeated in the aftermath of Round 5 of the Spanish Liga Endesa regular season. FC Barcelona and Valencia lead the way with their pristine 5-0 records. Four teams remain hot on their heels, sporting just one loss so far. FIATC Joventut, Real Madrid, Gran Canaria 2014, and Laboral Kutxa Vitoria are tied with 4-1 slates.
Morabanc Andorra vs. FC Barcelona, 66-89
This was an easy win on the road for the league leaders. Barcelona controlled the game for start to finish in what was an impressive display of quality basketball. It was a balanced team effort by the guests, with five players scoring in double figures. Both Justin Doellman and Ante Tomic led the team with 15 points. Andorra suffered from their turnovers, 16 in total for the game, double that of Barca.
The hosts were able to keep the game competitive for the first half. They found themselves down just by seven at halftime. Things opened up for Barcelona in the third frame as they outscored their hosts 12-23 in that period and basically ran away with the win from there. Shawn Jones and Luka Bogdanovic did their best to keep Andorra in the game, tallying 10 points each to lead all scorers on their end.
Special mention must go to Tomas Satoransky who did an excellent quarterbacking Barcelona’s offense. He was one point shy of notching a double-double with nine points and 10 assists. He also was stellar on the defensive end with four steals to his name.
This is the fourth loss for Andorra and they stay put in 13th place in the league standings.
Valencia Basket vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria, 85-78
This was arguably the most critical game of the round. Both clubs came into Valencia arena undefeated and fortunately for the hosts they were the ones able to keep their unblemished record intact. This was a laudable win. The orange shirts needed to overcome a huge 29-point game by Baskonia’s Darius Adams. At the end of the day, Valencia was able to step up their defense at critical junctures and create stops which in turn they converted to baskets of their own.
After being down at the end of the first half. The guests from Baskonia rallied in the third frame and brought the game down to a one-point lead for the home club with one quarter remaining. Valencia remained steadfast in the last period and held on for the victory.
Justin Hamilton posted his own 20-point game for Valencia on the shoulders of a very efficient scoring performance. He shot 6-of-9 from two-point range and made all of his attempts from both the free-throw line and beyond the three-point arc. Fernando San Emeterio added 16 points for his team.
Other game results from the round:
Rio Natura Monbus vs. Gupuzkoa, 81-68
Fuenlabrada vs. Sevilla, 79-81
Unicaja Malaga vs. Iberostar Tenerife, 85-75 (OT)
FIATC Joventut vs. CAI Zaragoza, 71-70
Estudiantes Madrid vs. Real Madrid, 75-80
Gran Canaria 2014 vs. La Bruixa d’Or Manresa, 88-59
UCAM Murcia vs. Bilbao Basket, 96-68