Jaworski was the hero of this opening game, with the American already firing his gun and scoring 15 points, showing that his shooting will bring plenty of joy to the Aragonese side this season. García de Vitoria's team will pose a major threat from outside, and their 15-for-34 performance from three-point range shows that everything revolves around scoring from beyond the arc.
Bell-Haynes was the top scorer with 19 points. Photo: ACB Photo/Emilio Cobos
Although the Reds' two main figures were Bell-Haynes, who contributed 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for a valuation rating of 20, and Roberts Blumbergs, the latter was undoubtedly the best, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks to become the game's highest-rated player with 22 rating points.
THE GAME
For this ACB debut, coach Gonzalo García de Vitoria opted to start with Trae Bell-Haynes, Justin Jaworski, Miguel González, Roberts Blumbergs and Gabriel Olaseni. Academy player Matija Lukic completed the squad because Jilson Bango remains unavailable while recovering from his cruciate ligament injury.
The pace set by both teams was extremely high, with barely any pauses between possessions, a style of play that already looks set to become a hallmark of the Reds this season. Trae Bell-Haynes hit two excellent three-pointers and was the offensive beacon for an Aragonese side that held a narrow lead early in the game. Blumbergs was also a constant threat from the perimeter, showing that this new team really can shoot, with 40% accuracy from beyond the 6.75-meter line. However, Marcelinho Huertas' relentless quality eventually meant the first quarter ended tied at 18, although Casademont Zaragoza's start had been highly promising.
Blumbergs recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to become the game's highest-rated player with 22 rating points. Photo: ACB Photo/Emilio Cobos
Jaka Lakovic's team took advantage of their offensive rebounding to put together a 7-0 run and take a five-point lead. Things still were not going the Reds' way on the court, and with their deficit reaching six points, García de Vitoria was forced to stop the game and reorganize his players with half of the quarter still to play and the islanders leading 31-25.
Blumbergs took matters into his own hands, scoring from the free-throw line to cut the deficit and reaching 11 points as the Aragonese team's top scorer. But an impressive 0-9 run, led by Homesley, who scored four points during that stretch, gave García de Vitoria's team some breathing room. Point guard Jaime Fernández hit a fine three-pointer just before halftime, but with 1.5 seconds on the clock, Guillem Vives pulled a shot out of nowhere with barely any time remaining, sending the game into the break with the Reds leading 38-44.
SECOND HALF
Both defenses were completely adrift, and the exchange of blows continued on every offensive possession, although Lakovic's team benefited slightly more by cutting the deficit to two points. However, after García de Vitoria's players reorganized more effectively to stop the islanders' attacks, the lead reached a game-high seven points for the Aragonese side at 49-56, thanks to Bell-Haynes hitting his fifth three-pointer of the game to reach 15 points.
The lead grew to 10 points with another Blumbergs three-pointer, as he continued to be a hugely important offensive weapon for the Reds. But the islanders responded with a 7-0 run in the closing minutes to cut the deficit to three points with 60 seconds remaining. A three-pointer from the Canaries tied the game, but Homesley also answered from beyond the arc to send the Aragonese team into the final 10 minutes with a 65-68 lead.
The game was finely balanced, with the difference always minimal as both teams struggled to score. Fouls were hurting the Reds, who would be forced to play more than six minutes in the bonus. The islanders moved ahead by taking advantage of free throws, but Jaworski stepped up and cut the deficit to just one point with two huge three-pointers.
With 40 seconds remaining, Tenerife led 80-79 and tension was running high at the Santiago Martín. An incredible team defensive effort, combined with Marcelinho missing an easy basket by his standards, and a quick play led by Jaworski, who scored the game-winning basket with 0.8 seconds remaining, secured a dramatic victory.
GAME DETAILS
La Laguna Tenerife (80): Bruno Fitipaldo (8), Kyle Guy (11), Xabi López-Arostegui (10), Doornekamp (-) and Ethan Happ (13) -starting five- TJ Bamba (4), Jaime Fernández (10), Marcelinho Huertas (12), Shermadini (5), Abromaitis (7), Alderete (-) and Kurucs (-).
Casademont Zaragoza (81): Trae Bell-Haynes (19), Justin Jaworski (15), Miguel González (-), Roberts Blumbergs (16) and Gabriel Olaseni (2) -starting five- Caleb Homesley (13), Matija Lukic (-), Nico Brussino (2), Jaime Fernández (-), Laurynas Birutis (6), Guillem Vives (8) and Sergi García (-).
Quarter scores: 18-18/20-26/27-24/15-13.
Officials: Jordi Aliaga, Carlos Merino and Andrés Fernández. Nico Brussino fouled out.
Venue: ACB Round 1 game played at the Santiago Martín Pavilion (Tenerife).
