By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
ANTWERP: The hosts of the Basketball Champions League Final Four won’t celebrate this year. Iberostar Tenerife, the first BCL winner, defeated Telenet Giants Antwerp, 70-54, in front of 17,289 fans.
Similar to the first Semifinal, the Spaniards turned up their defensive effort in crucial moments to secure the “W”. On Sunday they will face Segafredo Virtus Bologna in the Final. Antwerp will go against Brose Bamberg for third place.
Javier Beiran scored 14 points through a long lineup used by Txus Vidorreta for large chunks of the last three quarters. The 31-year-old Spaniard, among the lasting members of the 2017 BCL title holders, made 5/7 inside the rainbow.
Belgian Pierre-Antoine Gillet hurt his compatriots in the stands, but definitely sparked Tenerife’s offense with three triples and 11 points in Friday’s contest. Nicolas Brussino poured a game-high 17 points including a couple daggers beyond the arc.
The home team went up 22-12 in the beginning of the second period, but only scored four more points until the break. The Spanish team completed the turnaround in the second half building a double-digit lead of its own and pummeled their opponents’ final comeback attempt.
Tyler Kalinoski and Jae’Sean Tate shared a team-high with 13 points apiece. However, Ismael Bako was held to seven points and Paris Lee ended up with four to his name. The Belgian club only made 20/55 (36.4%) shots from the field.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League