Tomic leads Joventut to fourth win
Joventut Badalona remained undefeated at home by downing MoraBanc Andorra 90-80 at Palau Olimpic in Group A on Tuesday. Joventut improved to 4-1 in the standings while Andorra dropped to 3-2. Ante Tomic led the winners with 18 points, Joel Parra added 14 and Arturs Zagars 12 for Joventut. Codi Miller-McIntyre paced the Andorra attack with 22 points. Parra and Arturs Zagars led an 11-0 run that bridged the first two quarters and put Joventut ahead for good, 28-20. Parra and Tomic combined for all the points in a 10-0 run that extended the margin to 53-36 at halftime. Little changed after the break as Joventut held on for another win.
David Jelinek got Andorra going with a jumper, but Parra and Ante Tomic soon gave Joventut a 4-2 lead. Victor Arteaga and Oriol Pauli fueled a 0-7 Andorra run that Amine Noua capped with a fastbreak layup. Andres Feliz answered from beyond the arc and got help from Tomic and Derek Willis, but Miller-McIntyre took over with a put-back slam and Noua added an alley-oop layup to restore an Andorra edge. Simon Birgander hit a jump hook and Pau Ribas added a jumper, but Clevin Hannah and Moussa Diagne kept the visitors ahead, 17-20. Pep Busquets hit a corner triple and Willis added a three-point play for a 23-20 Joventut lead after 10 minutes.
Zagars struck from beyond the arc and Parra added a close jumper to cap an 11-0 Joventut run. Jelinek rescued Andorra with a corner triple and Marko Nakic erased Vladimir Brodziansky's jump hook with a put-back layup. Parra kept pushing Joventut with a couple of jump hooks, combining with Tomic for all the points in a 10-0 run that broke the game open, 40-25. Miller-McInture followed a driving layup with a three-point play and Babatunde Olumuyiwa dunked, but Tomic and Pau Ribas kept the hosts way ahead, 44-32. Brodziansky buried a corner three-pointer and fed Feliz for a backdoor layup. Ribas and Tomic stepped up to give the hosts a 53-36 margin at halftime.
Conor Morgan downed a step-back three-pointer soon after the break and Arteaga dunked to make it 53-40. Willis and Nakic traded baskets and then Parra dunked to give the hosts a 57-42 margin. Morgan followed a layup with a dunk and Arteaga hit a jump hook, but Tomic and Parra kept Joventut way ahead, 63-48. After Albert Ventura struck from downtown, Miller-McIntyre and Hannah brought Andorra a bit closer, 68-53. Zagars hit one from beyond the arc and added a floater and a driving layup to give the hosts a 78-57 cushion at the end of the third quarter.
Jelinek sank his second triple early in the fourth quarter. Brodziansky scored in the low post, as Joventut started to use longer possessions to run the game clock down. Nacho Llovet scored around the basket and Pauli got Andorra within 81-64 with 6 minutes left. Feliz buried a three-pointer and Simon Birgander added a put-back dunk that sealed the outcome, 86-69, as Andorra only rallied once the outcome was clear.
Tomic’s line: close to perfection
Ante Tomic of Joventut Badalona had a near-perfect performance in his team's home victory against MoraBanc Andorra. Tomic only played 18 minutes and 39 seconds but had time to score 18 points on perfect shooting. He made all 6 of his two-pointers and all 6 of his free throw attempts. Tomic added 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 30. His only negative actions in this game were a couple of turnovers and a foul committed. Tomic was close to his career-best PIR, which is 31 in a game with Joventut against Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul on October 14, 2020.
Joventut displays excellent ball circulation
Joventut Badalona relied on its great ball circulation to beat MoraBanc Andorra 90-80 at home in Round 5. Joventut finished the game with 24 assists and only 7 turnovers. That ratio of 3.43 assists per turnover marked a EuroCup club record. On the other hand, Andorra had fewer assists (21) and more turnovers (13) for a ratio of 1.62. Two-point shots and free throws made the difference, too. Joventut shot 25 for 28 inside the arc (65.8%) and made 19 of 21 free throws (90.5%). Andorra had lower percentages (52.1% 2FG, 54.5% FT) in those categories.
Zagars surprises Andorra
Widely regarded as one of the most talented playmakers to play for Joventut Badalona's youth teams in recent years, Arturs Zagars had not played in the 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup until he stepped on the court in Round 5 against MoraBanc Andorra. Zagars surprised his opponents with a stellar performance. The 21-year-old point guard had averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 assists in 17 EuroCup career games in the previous two seasons. Against Andorra, Zagars showed his potential, finishing the game with 12 points on 3-of-3 two-point shooting and 2-of-4 on three-pointers plus 2 assists and a PIR of 10.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Eurocupbasketball.com