Unicaja Banco Oviedo once again stumbled over the same stone as always, Palencia, a team they have never beaten away from home in the four matches they have played in the play-offs for promotion to the ACB. And he sees that this time it was close. A mate by Kabasele, who at times dominated under the hoops, put the scoreboard in favor for the Asturians (70-71) with 2.03 minutes remaining. A good defense allowed OCB to get hold of the ball with just over a minute left in the game, an error in attack gave the ball back to Palencia at 1:10 and, once again, Oviedo defended its defensive advantage. But from then on those paranormal phenomena began to happen that make the OCB end up falling again and again on this track when the promotion is being played: Kabasele almost lost the ball 52 seconds from the end, shortly after the attack by nerves and Atencia lost it on a throw-in, giving possession to Palencia who, this time, did not forgive. Juan Rubio raised the local fans with a triple that put his team up two (73-71) with 35 seconds left to play. Lezkano stopped the game and the play he drew ended with a ball to Xavier on the line of three, the Cape Verdean faked the shot, feinted and made space for a basket that should have been comfortable for him and that he missed. Kabasele was about to grab the rebound, but it slipped through his fingers as the game was slipping away from the OCB. There were 20 seconds left but the ball was in the hands of a Palencia who did know what to do with it and how to keep it to strike the first blow at the play-off table that still has several chapters to write. The next one will be tomorrow, at 6:30 p.m., on the same stage, a place that at the moment is cursed for the OCB when the fight for promotion arrives.
One of the things that can hurt the most in the visiting team was how well they started the game, only to have it slip away in the end. A very well settled OCB was seen, with the duel well studied, capable of stopping the attack of his rival. Between Kamba and Kabasele they gave a physical tone to the team that allowed the scorers, Jorgensen, Atencia and Lundqvist to add regularly. A basket by Kabasele shot the lead in favor of OCB to 10 points (7-17) with 2.51 left to finish the first quarter. The lead stretched to 15 points (7-22) after two good actions by Lundqvist when there were two minutes left in that first act. But already in that quarter the OCB began to make mistakes, some stupid losses, which allowed the Palencians to see the light and leave with a disadvantage of only eight points (14-22) at the end of the first ten minutes.
After the break equality reigned but Palencia knew how to play better in the end
Those bad feelings at the end of the first quarter were confirmed in the second, when OCB left the match and Palencia took advantage of it in a way that seemed to be definitive. Rubio, Ali, Fall and, above all, Dani Rodríguez were in charge of turning the score around in less than four minutes (25-24). The bleeding did not stop and Palencia went nine up (35-26) after a basket by Ali at 4:12 from the break. The OCB had disappeared from the field, there was no trace of the team that left like a plane for victory. The suffocating heat in the Palencia arena seemed to have affected a team that was not capable of reacting.
Oviedo needed something and Jorgensen appeared to contribute his success and restore hope to the Asturian team. A Sean McDonnell also began to look looser, who would end up being decisive in the reaction that the OCB had from then on. At the break, Lezkano’s team was only four down (38-34). And in the second part everything was equal.
The level rose and the two teams began to take advantage of their best virtues, on the Palencia side Ali based on talent and Blumbergs from the line of three punished an OCB in which Kamba took command of operations. It’s a pity that he didn’t get more out of it with more success from the free throw line (he scored two of the five he shot). Little by little, Kabasele took over, becoming stronger, grabbing more rebounds and, finally, a triple by Elechi put them within a point (50-49) with 3:21 left in the third quarter. But the errors of the OCB returned and Palencia went five up in the last quarter (60-55).
Those from Lezkano disappeared in the second quarter, chaining errors
But in the last quarter the OCB began in tune, with a Sean McDonnell who snatched up all the balls and bravely went on the counterattack. A triple by Xavier with 6.59 left tied the game at 63 and drove the game crazy. The figure of the center of Palencia Barro also emerged there, who prevented the pull of the OCB from going any further. A good action by Olle Lundqvist put the Asturian team ahead with 3.20 remaining (68-69) and from then on the team from Lezkano had several opportunities to take an advantage that would have given them some peace of mind, but they were not able, they failed always in those key moments.
Those moments in which these big games opt for one side or the other, in which a triple by Rubio lifts more than 2,000 people from their seats and a mistake by Xavier condemns you to a painful defeat. The good thing about the play-off is that the next opportunity will come quickly, as fast as tomorrow, when the OCB will try to tie the tie, ensure a fourth game in Pumarín and, above all, put an end to the curse of Palencia.
The president of the OCB: “We are having a hard time finding a sponsor”
E. F.-P. / A. L. / J. J.
The president of Oviedo Basketball, Fernando Villabella, recognized yesterday that Unicaja Banco’s decision to stop sponsoring the team has come at a bad time: “We should be focused on the play-off and not on this”. Villabella invites the financial entity to change its decision: “We would like Unicaja to continue with us for as long as possible, if we were to go up to the ACB we would like it to continue supporting the team.” He also acknowledges that the situation now is complicated to find a new main sponsor: “With the situation in which Asturias and its companies are, it is difficult for us to find a substitute,” he said. In addition, time is limited: “If we don’t go up, at the beginning of July we have to formalize the registration in the LEB Oro”.
Another that will not be sponsored by Unicaja Banco next season is La Calzada Handball, which has not been taken by surprise by this decision. In your case, the club that competes in the highest women’s category of Spanish handball has already signed another sponsor for the next season that will contribute an amount similar to that of Unicaja. The club will not announce its new sponsor until June 30, when its contract with the current one ends. This has allowed the club from Gijón to reach agreements to renew a good part of its current squad.
The Minister of Culture Berta Piñán, for her part, stressed that her ministry is always “with Asturian sport, we are its first interlocutors”. “Our complete support for Oviedo Basketball”, said Piñán during a visit to the Archaeological Museum. The counselor wanted “the situation to be redirected.” As for the OCB, she assured that “the club is in a very sweet situation and Unicaja, through the old Liberbank, has to have links with Asturias”, she sentenced.
