ESP – CAI Zaragoza hold on to edge Madrid

ZARAGOZA (ACB) - All the good work done by Real Madrid one week ago in a home win over Regal Barcelona was undone at CAI Zaragoza at the weekend.
 
Argentina sharpshooter Paolo Quinteros and Andres Miso poured in 15 points apiece and Adam Chubb contributed 14 as Zaragoza won 86-84.
 
Madrid trailed 81-72 when Sergio Rodriguez (twice) and Carlos Suarez hit three-balls in a 9-3 run to.
 
After a Miso free-throw put Zaragoza back in front by four, Madrid got a three-pointer from Clay Tucker to reduce the arrears to 85-84.
 
Madrid fouled Carlos Cabezas and the Zaragoza point guard made just one of two free-throws for a two-point lead.
 
Rodriguez dribbled the ball up the court and into the lane but missed a runner and time expired shortly after.
 
The setback, coupled with Barca's 77-53 blowout of Blancos de Rueda, has left Madrid a game behind Barcelona in the standings.
 
Since Barcelona own the tie-breaker advantage, they effectively have a two-game lead over Madrid.
 
Erazem Lorbek scored 16 points for Barcelona while Ricky Rubio had seven assists and five rebounds to go with his seven points.
 
Power Electronics Valencia stayed in third place with a 74-65 victory at Menorca Basquet.
 
Nando De Colo's 22 points fired La Taronja to their 21st win.
 
Caja Laboral remained a game adrift in fourth place at 20-10 with an 89-75 victory in the Basque derby against Bizkaia Bilbao Basket, who are now fifth at 18-12.
 
Sixth-place Unicaja Malaga won 90-78 over Meridiano Alicante and seventh-place Gran Canaria prevailed 79-74 over Lagun Aro GBC.
 
Fuenlabrada edged Assignia Manresa 55-54 after a getting a three-pointer from Kristaps Valters with less than five seconds to play.
 
Unicaja, Alicante and Fuenlabrada each have 17-13 records.
 
Blancos de Rueda are now out of the play-off places in ninth at 16-14.
 
In other games, Granada boosted their survival prospects with a 94-65 triumph over a reeling DKV Joventut.
 
Since winning against Alicante on March 27, DKV have been humiliated in three straight games.
 
They fell 111-55 to Unicaja on April 2 and 93-69 at home to Gran Canaria in the next game before crashing to defeat against Granada.
 
Granada, who are second bottom, improved to 7-23 and they now trail Alicante (8-22) by a game.
 
Cajasol, who lost in the Eurocup final to UNICS Kazan on Sunday in Treviso, Italy, had their home game that had been scheduled for Sunday moved to Thursday.
 
FIBA