An immense Ángel Delgado (27 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks and a PIR of 44) led Surne Bilbao Basket’s victory this Wednesday over Lenovo Tenerife (87-79) with which the Basque team celebrated together with their Miribilla fans the permanence one more year in the Endesa League.
The Dominican center broke his personal PIR record in the ACB, which he had at 39, and that of his team, 41 set by Ondrej Balvin not long ago, to help Bilbao Basket with a great choral effort to beat a notable Tenerife that could not reach the third and fourth places in the table that has only one victory.
The clash, brought forward from matchday 32 because Lenovo will play the Final Four of the Champions League precisely at the Bilbao Arena, was exciting and with alternatives on the scoreboard until in the end Delgado’s power prevailed.
In a Surne Bilbao Basket that is close to a Playoff victory for the title, the Dominican especially helped the captain Jonathan Rousselle (7 assists), brilliant until he was fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.
The best visitors in terms of statistics were Giorgi Shermadini (20 and 28) and Fran Guerra (12 and 16) and Uruguayan point guard Bruno Fitipaldo (13).
Two triples by Doornekamp and Fitipaldo (0-6) opened a game that was later even and almost a duel between Delgado and Shermadini in the zones. The work of the Georgian, like a fine rain, kept his team ahead in the first few minutes; and that of the Dominican allowed his team to match the visiting start and even take the lead (15-14) with four minutes remaining in a first quarter that closed a basket by Withey on the buzzer (22-21) .
Five points from Reyes closed a 7-0 lead that propelled those in black to their maximum advantage in the first half (27-21). But Tenerife responded with a 2-9 that put them ahead again (29-30) in a second quarter that was already very even until the break, which was 44-42 after the hoop spat out a daring tray of Rousselle to the edge of the horn.
Eight consecutive points from Delgado, with two interspersed from Shermadini, returned the maximum advantage (52-45) to a Surne Bilbao Basket that continued to pull the Caribbean player -12 points in a row- to extend a distance to nine (56-47) that it quickly wiped away Lenovo Tenerife with a 2-13 led by the work of Sastre and two triples by Sulejmanovic (58-60).
The Bosnian, formerly of Bilbao Basket, still scored a third shot from three so that the team in yellow reached the last quarter with an advantage (61-63). The Claretians increased that difference to four (63-67) but between a reaction by Rousselle, who had to leave due to fouls and a technique with 5.10 left, and Delgado’s demolition work, they even allowed a loose victory (87-79 ) to the locals, which was the best way to celebrate the permanence.
