The Surne Bilbao secured a 79-92 victory against Igokea in Bosnia on October 6, 2026, opening their Champions League campaign with a convincing road win despite missing key players Tryggvi Hlinason and Darrun Hilliard. French Bastien Vautier anchored the effort with 19 points and 8 rebounds, orchestrating a balanced team performance under Jaume Ponsarnau just 48 hours after a grueling overtime match in A Coruña.
How Surne Bilbao Overcame Roster Shortages in Bosnia
The Basque club arrived at the SD Laktasi venue facing significant lineup hurdles. Hlinason remained in Bilbao recovering from a head injury sustained on Sunday that required multiple stitches, while Hilliard traveled despite a sore ankle and watched from the bench. To offset these absences, Ponsarnau deployed a deep rotation early, calling upon all 11 available players in the opening quarter. This strategy paid immediate dividends as the visitors established an early 6-13 advantage by the fourth minute.
The visitors punished the Balkan defense by converting all six of their initial three-point attempts, building a 26-41 cushion by the 15th minute and maintaining a 35-50 advantage at halftime.
Igokea Cuts Lead to Single Digits
After Bilbao stretched their lead to a game-high 18 points at 35-53 early in the third period, Igokea ratcheted up their defensive intensity. Guard Lazar Stefanovic led the hosts with 17 points, carrying the offensive load alongside contributions from Stefan Lazić. The home side gradually chipped away at the deficit, eventually trimming it to single digits at 64-72 following an 8-0 run in the opening minute of the final quarter.
Out of the stoppage, Bilbao stabilized through Vautier’s interior presence and Somogyi. Though Somogyi struggled somewhat with his own shooting touch, he finished the night with nine assists and sank a crucial three-pointer in the game’s waning moments. Normantas added another timely triple with a minute remaining to extinguish the comeback bid and seal the 79-92 final score.
Bilbao Wins Despite Stefanovic Disqualification
The fixture at the SD Laktasi saw the referees Peter Praksch of Hungary, Andris Aunkrogers of Latvia, and Elvis Binders-Coders of Latvia penalize physical play, ultimately disqualifying Igokea’s Stefanovic on five personal fouls in the 39th minute. Quarter-by-quarter scoring favored Bilbao across the opening two frames (21-28 and 14-22), while the second half saw tighter battles with Igokea matching Bilbao’s output in the third period (21-22) before falling short in the fourth (23-20).
Box score data shows Bilbao’s scoring distribution came heavily from Vautier’s 19 points, supported by Krampelj with 12 and Normantas with 10. For Igokea, Stefanovic’s 17 points were complemented by Lazić’s 13 and Delalić’s 11 points off the bench, though the early offensive efficiency and deep rotation established by the visitors ultimately decided the outcome.
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