23 of 33 from 3-point range: Luwawu-Cabarrot and Frisch make history with Baskonia
Baskonia obtained their ticket on Sunday to compete in the Copa del Rey with a record victory against Manresa (130-85). The Basques broke their own historical records for points scored in the first half and successful 3-pointers in a game, now aspiring to fourth place in the standings.
TLC: 30 efficiency rating in… 14 minutes!
The Vitoria team literally demolished their Catalan opponents thanks to exceptional long-range shooting. Baskonia converted 23 three-pointers on 33 attempts, a success rate that completely annihilated Manresa. This performance equals the 3-point record in Liga Endesa history, previously held by Malaga.
Manresa particularly suffered from the absence of several key players, notably French point guard Hugo Benítez, but also Álex Reyes, Dani Pérez, Agustín Ubal and Eli Brooks. These absences considerably weakened the Catalan squad against the Basques in a state of grace.
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot once again distinguished himself as Baskonia’s offensive leader with 21 points on 5/7 shooting, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for a 30 efficiency rating in… 14 minutes! Eight players from the home team exceeded the ten-point mark, demonstrating the depth and collective efficiency of Paolo Galbiati’s men. Among them, Clément Frisch confirmed his rise in form with 10 points on 3/3 shooting and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes.
An offensive festival from the first quarter
The early minutes’ tie quickly shattered thanks to four consecutive 3-pointers that opened up the first significant gap. Rodions Kurucs notably nailed three long-range shots during the first quarter, contributing to Baskonia’s 35 points with six successful 3-pointers.
The second quarter confirmed the trend with exceptional local shooting accuracy. The Basques even broke their own record for points scored at halftime (74-42) thanks to 14 successful 3-pointers on 17 attempts. This historic performance definitively sealed the outcome of the game.
Stefan Joksimovic also contributed to this offensive festival, scoring Baskonia’s new ceiling in outside shooting with his third 3-pointer. Despite pride-driven efforts from Gerard Fernández and Pierre Oriola on the Catalan side, Manresa could never stop the Basque machine, ultimately losing by 45 points in the Fernando Buesa Arena in front of 8,788 spectators.
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