María España, in a file image. /
Gran Canaria 80 – 86 IDK Basque Country
endesa women’s league
The choral contribution led by Spain’s 23 points and Brown’s 26 PIR give Azu Muguruza’s team their third straight win in the league
The IDK Euskotren, from one week to the next, has become a team with a lot of character and after the two skids in the first two days they have formed a group to achieve the current streak of three wins in a row in the Endesa Women’s League after the meritorious victory that he has achieved this midday on the Gran Canaria track by 80-86 in an undoubted display of commitment and choral contribution.
With Mariam Coulibaly in cotton wool and with Thursday’s match in Lyon in her legs, IDK Euskotren has clung to its options and has never been below the scoreboard. The success in the triple in the first half (8 of 15) and the collective value in the second have counteracted the African power of Gran Canaria in the area (Kon and Fall have scored 36 of the 80 points) so that the return trip to San Sebastián is pleasant and they face with boundless enthusiasm the European debut at home on Wednesday against Zabiny Brno from the Czech Republic.
If you have to highlight two players above the rest, those are María España and Joy Brown. The Balearic Islands finished with 23 points, twelve of them in the first quarter. The triple has been the great ally of the IDK Euskotren at the beginning and it is what has allowed it to open differences on the scoreboard. The first was by Natalia Rodríguez and the following three, without fail, by María España (12-20, min. 6). Adding three by three is better than two by two, which is how Gran Canaria did it thanks to its two interiors. Pure math.
It took the Canary Islands six minutes to score their first basket outside the restricted area and when they did, they were not far behind with their three-pointers and made three in the final four minutes to tighten a scoreboard that today added many points (24 -28).
The locals tied at 28 at the beginning of the second quarter, a period that only had one owner: Joy Brown. The Guiana forward reigned on the court and with baskets, offensive rebounds, ball steals and assists, she propelled IDK Euskotren to a splendid moment of play. He came into the break with 7 points, 8 rebounds (five of them offensive), four assists and two steals and the Gipuzkoans reached a lead of up to twelve points (33-45, min. 18), although at halftime the light showed 38 -46. He has finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, five assists, three steals and a PIR of 26.
Also noteworthy is the good level of Cristina Soriano this week, who, faced with Coulibaly’s injury on Thursday and the foul problems and discomfort of the Malian center today, has responded very well at 25 minutes this afternoon and has added eight points in very important sections of the match.
The normal thing was to wait for a reaction from Gran Canaria, and it came in the third quarter, but IDK Euskotren’s pulse did not shake in any of the three moments in which the rivals reduced distances and tied. They equaled the score at 52-52, but the Gipuzkoans, despite being in bonus, defended correctly to cut a 12-4 run and took advantage of Kadri Lass’s awakening, who was very bad this season so far, to new breathe. The Estonian power forward, who reached matchday five with 6 of 31 field goals between the League and the Eurocup, has made three consecutive shots without fail and seven points to join her teammates.
The second tie came at the beginning of the last quarter, with 68-68 after a basket by Redmon, and after a 0-6 run, Gran Canaria replied to tie again at 74-74, the third and last tie of the second half. Kone converted his last basket with 6:25 left and IDK Euskotren once again took pride in not shrinking, playing bravely and making a 1-9 run that sentenced the match with baskets by Brown, a triple by Yurena Díaz, a basket after offensive rebound by Coulibaly and two free throws by Brown, to put the finishing touch to his great game (75-83).
Gran Canaria has gone five minutes without getting a basket in play and the final victory, by 80-86, places IDK Euskotren at the top of the classification of a very equal Endesa Women’s League, in which only Girona still does not know the defeat.
The IDK Euskotren scorers were: Cardaño 5, Soriano 8, Díaz 11, Jasa 3, España 23, Coulibaly 6, Rodríguez 8, Brown 15 and Lass 7.
