UCAM having fun with their homework against Bilbao

Sito’s big win makes a key victory for the quarter-final ambitions of greater value

It wasn’t because of the 30 point difference that they ended up with a brilliant evening for UCAM, but for good (and by a lot) they take the 18 point lead Sito Alonso’s men have gained against Bilbao, theoretically a big rival for a passage to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, in Murcia’s first win in the top 16. One of these, of this group L, the first two classified will access the qualifications ahead of the dream ‘Final Four’, and whose possible links with victories will be resolved due to the difference of points in direct confrontations, still for UCAM visiting Bilbao on the fifth day.

Therefore, this 18-point difference could double tonight’s win in the future. Right now it means doing your homework and taking a bath of confidence, which is always good, but also necessary depending on who. “We have to pamper Pustovyi,” said Sito after losing to Baskonia in a discreet new match for his starting center last Sunday. Today the Ukrainian was the best in the game, exercising great control on both boards and drawing a stat sheet that makes a professional athlete fall asleep better: 23 points with only one missed shot and a PIR of 31.

Trice (11), Jelínek (11), Rojas (0), Luther (6) and Diop (10) -starting five- Bellas (0), Radovic (6), McFadden (17), Pustovyi (23), Sakho ( 0), Anderson (4) and Andronikashvili (2).

Hakanson (6), Smith (8), Rabaseda (11), Andersson (8) and Withey (13) -starting five- Radicevic (3), Reyes (0), Alonso (11), Ubal (0), Sulejmanovic ( 4), Kyser (8) and Rosa (0).

A message that the mime shouts in front of the microphones, but also behind closed doors. Because Pustovyi’s confidence was sought not only in systems that gave the ball to the player where he felt most comfortable, but also in the details of his teammates, such as the free kick matching a technique McFadden was good enough to give him (and he gave it to him). got in).

License, this one from McFadden with his partner, which is also allowed thanks to the voluminous score of the moment, in a second part in which UCAM was always and by far in the lead. Until we got there, a conscientious job to run a game marked red and in which vengeance may have also played in Sito’s favor after their league defeat in Bilbao. Strangely enough, due to the same difference (99-81) between two teams called to be close this season, equal in win-loss balance in both leagues.

Hakanson’s 25 points and 32 PIR nailed Sito’s pride. Dismantling Bilbao today meant putting pressure against the Swede, who like Smith had a bigger player than him (Rojas and later Jelínek) from the start of the game. The visiting team struggled to stage a play, they fell foul and University’s speed paid off (10-4, minute 5). Moreover, the risk had a reward. Sito ruled out Davis again, only Trice of the last starting five (Jelínek, Rojas, Luther and Diop the rest) repeated and his team responded. The rotations not only maintained the level, they increased it (20-13).

Radovic, and especially Pustovyi, emphatically asked for an inside ball that translated into positives for his team (26-13, minute 13), which he found in McFadden and his four three-pointers, each harder, the final ingredient to convict a game that was nearly twenty difference at halftime (48-29) and surpassed that in the first game of the third quarter (50-29).

With the game in its pocket, UCAM wanted more. Sito’s commitment to take ownership of the least common and then prime Pustovyi with balls ensured that the desired effect was maximized throughout the game. And another who seems more at home in Europe, even if it’s against Endesa League rivals like Jelínek, the three-pointer excitement at the top held up with McFadden on the bench. His third basket over 6.75 was the one that recorded the maximum college advantage (65-36, minute 26).

Sito’s men ended the third quarter with percentages of more than 50% on two- and three-point shots, a chemistry that also took effect from which Pustovyi also benefited with the first triple of his pro career. The Palace was a party, and the tallest man, the protagonist, until he was suspended in the last fifteen minutes for five fouls (82-54, minute 33).

With not only victory assured, but a big difference, a certain sense of work completed took over the spirit that had always kept UCAM, which had swept its rival off the track. One that Sito probably also contributed by introducing Andronikashvili and Sakho with four and two minutes left, probably. With the university knife already saved, Bilbao took advantage of the worst of defensive balance to never narrow the gap to less than 20 points with fast centers like Withey and Kyser.

Source: La Verdad

Shawn

I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.