Lointek Gernika says goodbye to Europe in Turkey (69-40)

The Lointek Gernika Bizkaia was eliminated from the Eurocup after falling 69-40 on the track of the CBK Mersin Turkish and thus lose the 24 rental points with which he faced this game of the second leg of the ‘playoff’ of the second continental competition.

Despite the bulky score, which reached -37 midway through the third quarter (54-17), the Biscayan team shot with pride to stay alive practically until the end of the game and even manage to level the tie (64-40) 40 seconds to go.

It already started crooked to late for Gernika before the initial jump, after meeting at the last minute the positive for covid of Belén Arrojo, after the grenadine had tested negative “in all previous tests, including a PCR test in Istanbul”, as confirmed by the Basque club.

Arrojo’s sensitive loss left Mario Lopez as only eight players in the rotation against a rival who, spurred on by the noisy crowd that packed the small Turkish pavilion, overwhelmed Gernika from the start and by the 12th minute they had already managed to neutralize the disadvantage that was brought from the Biscayan court (30- 6).

The gap grew until 54-17 of minute 25 and it was only down to a disheartening -35 at the end of the third quarter (62-27). But with the tie in hand, the local team paid dearly for their overconfidence and gave wings to a Gernika that, with everything lost, never lowered its arms and smoothed out the differences.

The 64-36 with less than six minutes to go alerted Mersin coach Aziz Akkaya, who after a time-out barely managed to reconnect his players, although it did not prevent them from having to suffer until the end.

However, con 64-40 and 40 seconds ahead an entry that Rosó Buch failed to materialize and a subsequent triple by Jasmine Thomas definitively sentenced the crossing.

Datasheet

69.- Cukurova UK Mersin (23+19+20+7): Jasmine Thomas (15), Tiffany Hayes (9), Quanitra Hollingsworth (10), Asena Yalcin (3), Temi Fagbenie (8) -cinco inicial-; Shavonte Zellous (6), Yvonne Turner (4) and Kristine Anigwe (14).

40.- Lointek Gernika (6 + 9 + 12 + 13): Roselis Silva (3), Rosó Buch (13), Angela Bjorklund (4), Melisa Brcaninovic (6), Tinara Moore (10) -starting five-; Itziar Ariztimuño (2), Paula Ginzo (2) and Marta Alberdi (-).

Partial: 23-6, 42-15 (rest), 62-27 and 69-40 (final).

Referees: Franko Gracin (Croatia), Kirile Tvauri (Georgia) and Margarita Petrenko (Russia). They eliminated Brcaninovic for five fouls (m.38).

¿¿¿End! Final! ¿¿¿@cukurovabasket 69
Lointek Gernika Bizkaia 40

Against all and sundry! ¿¿¿

ZUOTAZ HARRO! Do you#GutarikoBat ¿ pic.twitter.com/Bygb3xFPUl

– Lointek Gernika Bizkaia (@GKesb) January 4, 2022