MIES (Switzerland) - Following Galatasaray's Turkish derby win over Manisa Basket, it was time for another derby for Wednesday action in the BCL Round of 16. This time, it happened in Spain.
BAXI Manresa 73-84 La Laguna Tenerife
You can bet on many things in life, but the most predictable will always be a close game when BAXI Manresa and La Laguna Tenerife go up against each other. Remember the 2022 BCL Final?
The fifth matchup ever between the two sides in the Basketball Champions League was no exception. With as many as 11 lead changes, nothing was certain until the fourth quarter, when Txus Vidorreta's team escaped early only to show resiliency afterward. Manresa tried to reduce the gap, but it wasn't enough.
Finally, the two-time champions and 2024 runners-up overcame Manresa's red wave in Pavello Nou Congost, staying undefeated in 2024-25 for their longest-ever winning sequence to start a BCL season at 8-0.
They brought home the 84-73 road victory basically without Giorgi Shermadini, who got ejected at the end of the first quarter. That fully opened the stage to Fran Guerra, who finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds.
Marcelinho Huertas, who averaged 24.5 points per game in his previous four appearances in the BCL Round of 16, had 18 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in the win, including a dagger banked in three-pointer when Manresa were making that last push in the fourth quarter.
Overall, whenever Manresa thought they could take the game over, it was Marcelinho delivering the answer, whether by scoring or by getting back-to-back assists in a quick 5-0 run in the third quarter, which erased the hosts' biggest lead of the game in a matter of seconds.
Joan Sastre added a season-high 17 points too.
Derrick Alston Jr. (11 points) made everybody worried in the final seconds of the third, slipping and looking suffering with an apparent ankle injury while Thomas Scrubb knocked down a half-court buzzer-beater to fuel Tenerife's confidence. Luckily enough, Manresa's #21 was able to keep on playing.
For Diego Ocampo's team, Emmanuel Cate had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Following the Spanish derby, Tenerife stayed on top of Group K with two consecutive victories in the Round of 16, very different from one another. Pallacanestro Reggiana and Manresa are 1-1, while Aliaga Petkimspor couldn't celebrate their first win at this point of the competition.
Nanterre 92 83-71 Falco-Vulcano Szombathely
Losing back-to-back in the Basketball Champions League? That's simply not happening for Nanterre 92, who haven't done so since their first two games in the 2018-19 season.
After beginning this season's Round of 16 with a road defeat in Murcia, they bounced back immediately, imposing their superiority over Falco-Vulcano Szombathely - even without Paul Lacombe.
Confirming their mental toughness in making things right from the very beginning, they have now won their 13 home games in the BCL when leading at halftime. Against Falco, they were up 44-31 after two quarters.
The Hungarians, who also needed to respond following the first week's loss to ERA Nymburk, never stood a chance in France on Wednesday night, also committing 17 turnovers. Ultimately, the hosts prevailed 83-71.
The 31-year-old William Howard showed experience on the floor for Philippe Da Silva's squad, performing a season-high in scoring with 21 points. In fact, Howard scored a total of 20 points in his previous three games, and his efficiency rating in this win was 27, while no other player had a higher number than 18 in that category.
Justin Tillman and Roko Prkacin combined for 34 points for the winning side.
"The game is never over until the last second and we had so many easy turnovers because we didn't expect this pressure. Also with this type of win, we learn every day, every game, and these 35 minutes are going to stay in my mind because my players deserved it," Da Silva commented.
After scoring more than 25 points in his previous two BCL games, Zoltan Perl was limited to 16 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.
In March, Nanterre will be called up to what looks like a very difficult challenge: beating Francesco Tabellini's Nymburk in Czechia. Falco, instead, will need to bounce back against UCAM Murcia.