García de Vitoria's side shot 51% from the field, going 15 of 22 from three-point range, with the only blemish being their 55% free-throw shooting. Almost everything clicked for the Aragonese side on offense as they produced their best performance of the season so far and continue to make progress after their major overhaul.
Birutis was the game's top-rated player with 23 credits and came close to a double-double with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Photo: ACB Photo/Mónica Arcay
As many as four players scored in double figures (Jaworski, Birutis, Bell-Haynes and Homesley). Special mention goes to the Lithuanian, who came close to a double-double with 8 rebounds and was the game's top-rated player with 23 credits.
THE GAME
Seeking their second win of the season, this time on Leyma Coruña's court, García de Vitoria opted for the lineup that appears to be convincing him most at this early stage: Trae Bell-Haynes, Justin Jaworski, Miguel González, Roberts Blumbergs and Gabriel Olaseni.
Leyma Coruña made the better start, stringing together several good offensive plays that caught the red-and-black defense out of position. However, Blumbergs from the perimeter and Trae's drives to the basket leveled the score early in the first quarter. Former Casademont player Tomas Dimsa was on fire from three-point range and, with 9 points to his name, was the Galicians' main threat. But a 0-9 run by the Aragonese in the final three minutes, taking advantage of Carles Marco's team being in the bonus, sent the game into the second quarter with the score at 17-23.
The next quarter was led by a Homesley who could not miss, scoring 10 points without a single missed shot, and an unstoppable Birutis in the paint, with 12 points to his name. The Coruña defense had no answer for him, and a Bell-Haynes three-pointer gave Zaragoza an 18-point lead, prompting Carles Marco to call a timeout to stop the onslaught.
But the storm could no longer be stopped, and Jaworski joined the party with two outstanding three-pointers to lead an emphatic 11-29 run in a second quarter heavily dominated by García de Vitoria's side, who were in bulldozer mode. The teams went into halftime with the score at 28-52, and the feeling was that no one could stop the red-and-blacks at the Coliseum, with a 24-point lead.
SECOND HALF
Although both teams made a poor start after halftime on offense, scoring just four points in almost three minutes of play, Justin Jaworski appeared with a hot hand and added two more three-pointers to make it a 32-point lead. The rout was substantial as Leyma Coruña were outplayed in every area and could not stop Casademont Zaragoza's storm.
But the red-and-blacks then hit a dry spell, managing to score just four points for the rest of the quarter, while Carles Marco's team shifted up a gear to cut the deficit to 17 points with 10 minutes remaining, making it 50-67. The Aragonese side had surrendered a significant portion of its lead during a disastrous stretch.
García de Vitoria's side withstood the Galicians' desperate attempt to close the gap and, thanks to flashes of brilliance from Bell-Haynes, Homesley and Brussino, secured a well-deserved win at the Coliseum, showing that this team can aspire to compete for meaningful achievements this season.
GAME DETAILS
Leyma Coruña (71): Alonzo Verge (11), Paul Jorgensen (2), Uleckas (7), Silins (7) and Conditt (4) -starting lineup- Jou (-), Dino Radoncic (9), Pacheco (3), Tomas Dimsa (12), Skapintsev (4) and Jacobo Díaz (9).
Casademont Zaragoza (92): Trae Bell-Haynes (14), Justin Jaworski (17), Miguel González (-), Roberts Blumbergs (8) and Gabriel Olaseni (4) -starting lineup- Caleb Homesley (15), Matija Lukic (-), Nico Brussino (8), Jaime Fernández (9), Laurynas Birutis (14), Guillem Vives (3) and Sergi García (-).
Quarter scores: 17-23/11-29/22-15/21-25.
Officials: Arnau Padrós, Alberto Sánchez Sixto and David Sánchez.
Notes: ACB Round 3 game played at the Coliseum (A Coruña).
