KUTXABANK ARASKI 68 – CADÍ LA SEU 81
It will not be for not having warned. Mendizorrotza knows Irati Etxarri perfectly, but the Iruindarra has returned to offer a great performance with 17 points and 5 rebounds, being the leader of the leader, as usual in her, who remains undefeated after five days of the Endesa Women’s League. Araski, meanwhile, suffered his second defeat of the season this Sunday, coincidentally, both at home.
Araski has paid dearly for the 14-24 part with which he started the game. Already in those first minutes Irati Etxarri has imposed his law. Such has been his success, that he has not even needed to rebound. That bad start has been a slab that has been impossible to lift, although it must be recognized that Madelen Urieta’s women have never thrown in the towel.
In this sense, so Arrate Agirre – “rescued” from the subsidiary urgently after several years of absence – and Leia Dongue have assumed responsibility in scoring, but especially in the first half, Cadí La Seu has been taking advantage at all times , to the point of also winning the second quarter and reaching the break with a result of 32-47 practically unbearable.
Half comeback
After passing through the changing rooms, the aggressiveness of Kutxabank Araski has been much greater and they have put Cadí La Seu in greater problems. Pivec and Tunstull have relieved Irati Etxarri in scoring, but the work of Agirre, Dongue and Atkinson –including the absences of Izaskun García and Julia Gladkova– has managed to bring Araski’s disadvantage closer, closer to a ten disadvantage.
However, closer to the eight points difference, 59-67 after Arrate Agirre’s third triple, the team from Gasteiz could not be placed. Two triples from Pivec and Laura Peña have once again stretched the Catalan income and from now on there has been no way to consider the comeback or as a beautiful dream. And in the absence of Etxarri’s points in those last minutes, Laura Peña’s triples have certified the final 68-81.
VALENCIA BASKET 77 – LOINTEK GERNIKA BIZKAIA 60
Little can be reproached for Lointek Gernika Bizkaia, who has done his best on the Valencia Basket court. In fact, it could be said that the final disadvantage has been excessive, but it is that in part Lointek Gernika Bizkaia has ended up failing the bellows and in front he has run into a rival with a very inspired Cirstina Ouviña.
The skilled point guard has scored 16 points, 14 of them in the first half, but his dominance has gone well beyond the points he has been able to score. He has added 10 assists to his numbers and has mastered the rhythm as he pleased. In addition, the Australian Rebeca Allen or an impressive Laura Gil –8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists, for a valuation of 21– have ended up dismantling those of Mario López, who in any case have never lowered their arms.
Thus, Rosó Buch has achieved her 11 points to keep Gernika Bizkaia in the fight in the first quarter, but she has run into a voracious Cristina Ouviña in attack, to the point that she has stretched the score of the match to 25-17 disturbing. For a moment it seemed that the Gernikarras were going to take a beating similar to the one they suffered in Salamanca, but their attitude on the parquet of La Fonteta has been much more aggressive.
Although Tinara Moore has been slow to find her way to the basket, players like Belén Arrojo or Roundtree have maintained the “discipline of fire” not to let go. However, the defensive pressure of Valencia Basket has caused too many losses to the Biscayan women – they have finished with 17 losses -, reaching the changing rooms with 41-29 in the light.
The remaining 20 minutes have been an exercise in courage on the part of the Gernikarra team. The fatigue has been increasingly noticeable, especially when attacking, since three losses in a row have brought a streak of three triples in a row by Allen, answering a partial of 0-7 from the Biscayan -after a strange unsportsmanlike that they have whistled Ouviña, for his flata on Roselis Silva – with another 9-0.
Fatigue has been taking its toll on the Gernikarras, despite the points that Paula Ginzo has been adding at the last minute. Seeing that the legs weighed more than necessary, Mario López has decided to defend in the zone in the last stretch of the game – although whoever believes that in the zone defense one “rests”, is very wrong. Valencia Basket has responded with exquisite ball movement, with Ouviña finding the right pass every time.
Given this, little else has been able to do a Lointek Gernika Bizkaia that returns home and now must prepare the next match of the Women Eurocup, which will be played in Maloste against La Roche Vendée, next Wednesday the 20th at 8:00 p.m.
Touchstone for IDK Euskotren
The fifth day of the Endesa Women’s League ends for the Basque teams on Sunday afternoon with the duel between Basket Zaragoza and IDK Euskotren. The duel will start at 6:45 p.m.
This will be the first reunion of Lara González and Antonia Delaere with the San Sebastian squad after their march to the city maña, but more than that, the duel for Azu Muguruza’s team has some long-term importance.
That is, after starring in a bad 2020/21 campaign, the Aragonese team seems to have started this new season with new vigor, to the point that they have won three of the first four games of the Regular Phase, with the good news that, In addition, he seems to have recovered a good version of Anna Cruz, which in itself represents a notable improvement in the performance of the tricks.
All in all, Sierra Calhoun will be the Zaragoza player who will have to be watched most closely. The forward averages 13.5 points and 4.3 rebounds, forming a very solid duo along with Vega Gimeno.
In any case, IDK Euskotren arrives in Zaragoza after having premiered last week without winning records. All this coinciding with the debut of Marian Coulibaly, which has given him the solidity that the Gipuzkoan team lacked in the opening of the competition.
“It is a match that will require a lot of concentration above all, that we will need each of the players and all of them to be very clear about what they have to do and from there play with great ambition,” Azu Muguruza stressed during week.