There were just five rounds played in Regular Season of LEB Gold and we can clearly see which teams will fight for top positions and which will try to avoid bottom places. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.
The most surprising game was the first loss of Ourense (4-1) at the home court on Saturday night. Hosts were defeated by twelfth ranked Gipuzkoa (3-2) 83-76. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Ourense. They outrebounded Ourense 44-30 including a 15-4 advantage in offensive rebounds. Canadian-Croatian power forward Josip Vrankic (206-1998, college: Santa Clara, agency: Players Group) orchestrated the victory by scoring 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. American guard Xavier Johnson (185-2000, college: SIU) contributed with 21 points and 6 assists for the winners. Portuguese guard Diogo Brito (198-1997, college: Utah St.) answered with 13 points and 6 rebounds for Ourense. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Gipuzkoa have a solid series of three victories in a row. They moved-up to sixth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Ourense at the other side keeps the second position with one game lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Gipuzkoa is looking forward to face Obradoiro (#12) in Santiago de Compostela in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Ourense will play at home against Moron (#18) and is hoping to win this game.
LEB Gold top team – Burgos SP (5-0) managed to deliver another win. This time they beat tenth ranked Oviedo (2-3) 79-69. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Oviedo. Armenian-American center Luke Fischer (211-1994, college: Marquette) stepped up and scored 19 points for the winners and Daniel Diez chipped in 11 points and 7 rebounds. Burgos SP’s coach Bruno Savignani used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. Haitian-Canadian forward Kevin Bercy (201-1994, college: St.Francis X.) responded with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Undefeated Burgos SP have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with 5-0 record. Oviedo at the other side keeps the tenth position with three games lost. They share it with 4 other teams. Burgos SP will play against Zamora (#6) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Oviedo will play against Fuenlabrada (#3) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Bottom-ranked Alicante is still unable to win any game. But it was rather predictable considering how strong their opponent was. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their fifth consecutive match to fifth ranked Fuenlabrada (4-1) 81-69 on Sunday evening. Travis Munnings nailed 16 points and 5 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) for the winning side. Kevin Larsen came up with 11 points and 9 rebounds for Alicante in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the third consecutive win for Fuenlabrada. They moved-up to second place, which they share with 3 other teams. Alicante lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost. They share the position with Moron. Fuenlabrada will meet Oviedo (#14) on the road in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Alicante will play against Palencia and hopes to get finally their first victory.
There were no big surprises in other games of round 5: Cantabria was smashed by Castello on the road 89-68. Estudiantes won against Zamora on its own court 90-84. Menorca unfortunately lost to Cartagena in a road game 70-78. Real Betis managed to beat Palencia at home 85-68. Burgos T. crushed Moron on the opponent’s court 99-80. Valladolid was beaten by Obradoiro in a home game 72-76.
The most impressive performance of 5th round was 18 points and 4 assists by Sergi Quintela of Obradoiro.
Alicante – Fuenlabrada 69-81
Bottom-ranked Alicante is still unable to win any game. But it was rather predictable considering how strong their opponent was. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their fifth consecutive match to fifth ranked Fuenlabrada (4-1) 81-69 on Sunday evening. Fuenlabrada dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Alicante‘s 28. Bahamas-American forward Travis Munnings (196-1994, college: ULM) nailed 16 points and 5 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) for the winning side and Nigerian-American power forward Lotanna Nwogbo (205-1993, college: Longwood) accounted for 17 points. Danish center Kevin Larsen (208-1993, college: GWU) came up with 11 points and 9 rebounds and Ugandan-Belgian forward Jean-Marc Mwema (195-1989) added 10 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Alicante in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the third consecutive win for Fuenlabrada. They moved-up to second place, which they share with 3 other teams. Alicante lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost. They share the position with Moron. Fuenlabrada will meet Oviedo (#14) on the road in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Alicante will play against Palencia and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Alicante: R.Bidias 14+2reb+1ast, K.Larsen 11+9reb+3ast, J.Mwema 10+7reb+1ast, J.King 9+2reb+7ast, M.Ogunsipe 6+4reb+1ast, O.Lypovyy 6+1reb+1ast
Fuenlabrada: L.Nwogbo 17+3reb, T.Munnings 16+5reb+3ast, F.Zurbriggen 10+6reb+3ast, J.Bilbao 8+9reb+2ast, P.Jorgensen 7+2reb+5ast, J.Dee 7+1reb
gschID: 1181228
Burgos SP – Oviedo 79-69
LEB Gold top team – Burgos SP (5-0) managed to deliver another win. This time they beat tenth ranked Oviedo (2-3) 79-69. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Oviedo. Armenian-American center Luke Fischer (211-1994, college: Marquette) stepped up and scored 19 points for the winners and the former international forward Daniel Diez (203-1993) chipped in 11 points and 7 rebounds. Four Burgos SP players scored in double figures. Burgos SP’s coach Bruno Savignani used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. Haitian-Canadian forward Kevin Bercy (201-1994, college: St.Francis X.) responded with 18 points and 9 rebounds and Mikel Sanz (200-1999) scored 10 points and 8 rebounds. Burgos SP have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with 5-0 record. Oviedo at the other side keeps the tenth position with three games lost. They share it with 4 other teams. Burgos SP will play against Zamora (#6) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Oviedo will play against Fuenlabrada (#3) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Oviedo: K.Bercy 18+9reb, I.Nweke 13+3reb+2ast, M.Sanz 10+8reb+1ast, F.Amarante 8+4reb, D.Hutchinson 8+3reb, R.Lobaco 5+1reb+1ast
Burgos SP: L.Fischer 19+4reb, D.Diez 11+7reb, J.Axel Gudmundsson 11+4reb+3ast, M.Lapornik 10+1reb+2ast, G.Goloman 7+2reb, E.Wembi 6+2reb+1ast
gschID: 1181229
Castello – Cantabria 89-68
Everything could happen in Castellon at the game between two tied teams. Both fourteenth ranked Castello and 13th ranked Cantabria had identical 1-3 record. This time Castello used a home court advantage and crushed the opponent from Torrelavega 89-68 on Friday night. Castello forced 21 Cantabria turnovers and outrebounded them 42-26 including 16 on the offensive glass. Castello looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. American guard Jalen Tate (198-1998, college: Arkansas) nailed 12 points and 5 rebounds for the winning side and Senegalese center Tanor Ngom (216-1998, college: FSU) accounted for 13 points and 5 rebounds. Montenegrin guard Nikola Rakocevic (192-1991) came up with 22 points and 6 rebounds (was perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line !!!) and Bosnian Mirza Bulic (207-1992) added 12 points respectively for Cantabria in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Castello (2-3) moved-up to tenth place, which they share with 4 other teams. Loser Cantabria dropped to the fifteenth position with four games lost. They share it with Valladolid. Castello will meet higher ranked Burgos T. (#7) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Cantabria will play against Valladolid (#16) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Cantabria: N.Rakocevic 22+6reb, M.Bulic 12+4reb+3ast, G.Martinez 10+3reb+5ast, S.Littleson 9+3reb+1ast, B.Hundt 6+1reb+6ast, R.Belemene 6+2reb
Castello: T.Ngom 13+5reb+1ast, J.Tate 12+5reb+3ast, G.Arcos 9+4ast, C.Minlend Jr. 9+4reb+3ast, E.Stutz 9+3reb+2ast, V.Okouo 7+10reb+1ast
gschID: 1181230
Estudiantes – Zamora 90-84
Everything could happen in Madrid at the game between two tied teams. Both fifth ranked Estudiantes and 6th ranked Zamora had identical 3-1 record. This time Estudiantes used a home court advantage and defeated the opponent from Zamora 90-84 on Sunday night. Estudiantes made 23-of-29 free shots (79.3 percent) during the game. Serbian-Canadian center Dejan Kravic (210-1990, college: Texas Tech, agency: Octagon Europe) nailed 19 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side and Italian-Uruguayan guard Jayson Granger (191-1989) accounted for 12 points and 9 assists. Granger is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Nigerian-American guard Zaid Hearst (194-1992, college: Quinnipiac) came up with 25 points and American forward Kevin Buckingham (198-1997, college: SE Oklahoma) added 21 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Zamora in the defeat. Five Estudiantes and four Zamora players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Estudiantes (4-1) moved-up to second place, which they share with 3 other teams. Newly promoted Zamora keeps the sixth position with two games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Estudiantes will meet Menorca (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Zamora will play against the league’s leader Burgos SP (#1) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Zamora: Z.Hearst 25+3reb+1ast, K.Buckingham 21+7reb, O.Hanzlik 11+3reb+2ast, J.Walker 10+1reb, J.Round 6, K.Nikic 4+5reb
Estudiantes: D.Kravic 19+9reb+2ast, M.Andric 13+1reb+1ast, S.Barro 13+7reb, J.Granger 12+3reb+9ast, F.Alonso 11+5reb, A.Sola 7+1reb+2ast
gschID: 1181231
Cartagena – Menorca 78-70
Everything could happen at the game between two tied teams. Both ninth ranked Cartagena and 10th ranked Menorca had identical 2-2 record. This time Cartagena used a home court advantage and won against the opponent from Mahon 78-70 on Saturday night. Cartagena outrebounded Menorca 44-33 including 17 on the offensive glass. Dutch forward Dylan Van Eyck (203-1998, college: Iona) nailed 10 points and 8 rebounds for the winning side and center Asier Gonzalez (198-2000) accounted for 12 points and 9 rebounds. Serbian Marko Lukovic (206-1992) came up with 15 points and 7 rebounds and the former international center Victor Arteaga (212-1992) added 15 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Menorca in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Cartagena (3-2) moved-up to sixth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Menorca lost their third game in a row. They keep the tenth position with three games lost. They share it with 4 other teams. Cartagena will meet higher ranked Real Betis (#5) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Menorca will play against the league’s second-placed Estudiantes (#2) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Menorca: M.Lukovic 15+7reb+1ast, V.Arteaga 15+7reb, P.Figueras 13+1reb+4ast, P.Ivanov 10+3reb+2ast, D.Alderete 6+7reb+1ast, D.Gomez 3+1reb+1ast
Cartagena: S.Garuba 12+1reb, A.Gonzalez 12+9reb, D.Van Eyck 10+8reb+3ast, A.Jorda 10+2reb+2ast, C.Hermanson 9+1reb+2ast, S.Ugochukwu 6+11reb
gschID: 1181232
Ourense – Gipuzkoa 76-83
The most surprising game was the first loss of Ourense (4-1) at the home court on Saturday night. Hosts were defeated by twelfth ranked Gipuzkoa (3-2) 83-76. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Ourense. They outrebounded Ourense 44-30 including a 15-4 advantage in offensive rebounds. Canadian-Croatian power forward Josip Vrankic (206-1998, college: Santa Clara, agency: Players Group) orchestrated the victory by scoring 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. American guard Xavier Johnson (185-2000, college: SIU) contributed with 21 points and 6 assists for the winners. Portuguese guard Diogo Brito (198-1997, college: Utah St.) answered with 13 points and 6 rebounds and Jamaican center Romaro Gill (218-1994, college: Seton Hall) added 16 points (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field) in the effort for Ourense. Four Ourense players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Gipuzkoa have a solid series of three victories in a row. They moved-up to sixth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Ourense at the other side keeps the second position with one game lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Gipuzkoa is looking forward to face Obradoiro (#12) in Santiago de Compostela in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Ourense will play at home against Moron (#18) and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Ourense: R.Gill 16+4reb, D.Brito 13+6reb+3ast, B.Krikke 11+2reb+1ast, J.Lopez 10+3reb+5ast, M.Fernandez 9+3reb+1ast, U.Mendicote 5+1reb+1ast
Gipuzkoa: X.Johnson 21+1reb+6ast, J.Vrankic 19+8reb+5ast, A.Martinez 18+8reb, J.Mokran 8+4reb, M.Diaz 7+6reb+3ast, M.Ansorregui 5+4reb+2ast
gschID: 1181233
Real Betis – Palencia 85-68
Not a big story in a game when 9th ranked Zunder Palencia (2-3) lost to fifth ranked Real Betis (4-1) in Sevilla 68-85 on Saturday. Real Betis outrebounded Palencia 36-24 including a 29-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. Real Betis looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. American guard Mark Hughes (195-1997, college: Wright St.) nailed 21 points and 7 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) for the winning side and American-Bosnian point guard Alex Renfroe (191-1986, college: Belmont) accounted for 16 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Four Real Betis players scored in double figures. American center Cameron Krutwig (206-1998, college: Loyola, IL) came up with 10 points and 7 rebounds and Swedish point guard Tobias Borg (184-1993) added 10 points and 4 assists respectively for Palencia in the defeat. Zunder Palencia’s coach rotated twelve players seeing no chance for a win. Real Betis moved-up to second place, which they share with 3 other teams. Palencia lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the tenth position with three games lost. They share it with 4 other teams. Real Betis will meet at home Cartagena (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Palencia will play against Alicante and hope to secure a win and be promoted back to the Liga Endesa just one year after relegation.
Top scorers:
Palencia: M.Kamba 14, T.Borg 10+3reb+4ast, C.Krutwig 10+7reb+2ast, A.Kunkel 8+2reb+2ast, D.Dimitrov 8+3reb+1ast, A.Wintering 6+1reb+3ast
Real Betis: M.Hughes 21+7reb+1ast, A.Renfroe 16+3reb+5ast, B.De Bisschop 12+6reb+4ast, V.Benite 12+4reb+3ast, A.Cvetkovic 9+1reb+7ast, A.Domenech 5+4reb
gschID: 1181234
Moron – Burgos T. 80-99
Everything went according to plan when ninth ranked Burgos T. (3-2) outplayed bottom-ranked Moron (0-5) in Moron de la Frontera 99-80 on Sunday. Burgos T. made 16-of-19 free shots (84.2 percent) during the game. They also forced 20 Moron turnovers. American guard Lance Jones (185-2000, college: Purdue) nailed 16 points and 4 assists for the winning side and Brazilian point guard Caio Pacheco (189-1999) accounted for 11 points and 5 assists. Burgos T.’s coach Salvador Camps used an eleven-player rotation and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Ivorian guard Lionel Kouadio (192-2001) came up with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) and forward Ismael Tamba (201-2001) added 14 points and 10 rebounds respectively for Moron in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The victory was the third consecutive win for Burgos T.. They moved-up to sixth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Moron lost their fifth game in a row. Newly promoted team still closes the standings with five games lost. They share the position with Alicante. Burgos T. will meet at home Castello (#10) in the next round. Moron will play against Ourense (#4) and looks forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Moron: L.Kouadio 22+10reb+3ast, T.Tumba 18+2reb, J.Alberto Jimenez 17+1reb+2ast, I.Tamba 14+10reb, M.M’Madi 4, I.Duke 3+5reb
Burgos T.: J.Lobo 17, L.Jones 16+2reb+4ast, J.Diaz 12+3reb, C.Pacheco 11+2reb+5ast, A.Thiam 10+7reb, A.Alonso 9+1reb+3ast
gschID: 1181235
Valladolid – Obradoiro 72-76
Everything could happen at the game between two tied teams. Both fourteenth ranked Monbus Obradoiro and 15th ranked Valladolid had identical 1-3 record. But Valladolid was not able to use a home court advantage and lost to the opponent from Santiago de Compostela 76-72 on Friday night. Point guard Sergi Quintela (185-1996) nailed 18 points and 4 assists for the winning side and Serbian power forward Oliver Stevic (204-1984) accounted for 11 points and 11 rebounds. Estonian Jaan Puidet (192-1992, agency: Players Group) came up with 11 points and 5 rebounds and American forward Nathan Hoover (193-1997, college: Wofford) added 15 points respectively for Valladolid in the defeat. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. Obradoiro (2-3) moved-up to tenth place, which they share with 4 other teams. Valladolid lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the fifteenth position with four games lost. They share it with Cantabria. Obradoiro will meet higher ranked Gipuzkoa (#8) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Valladolid will play against Cantabria (#15) in Torrelavega and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Valladolid: N.Hoover 15+1reb+2ast, J.Puidet 11+5reb+2ast, H.Atencia 9+1reb+3ast, D.Manchon 8+1reb+1ast, M.Kovacevic 8, A.Sans 7+2ast
Obradoiro: S.Quintela 18+4reb+4ast, M.Jimenez 12+3reb+1ast, O.Stevic 11+11reb+2ast, S.Micovic 9+6reb+1ast, B.Davison 7+3reb+4ast, T.Leimanis 6+1reb
gschID: 1181236
