Delightful Madrid tears down the wall away from home

Without Felis and Garubayou haven’t worked for several weeks; without a musewho will be absent for at least a month; neither Ratan-Maysimminent paternity; neither Ibakastomach virus, Madrid achieved a remarkable, almost heroic victory in minimal conditions and with just six players over 20 years of age. A victory that was reminiscent of the one that celebrated the raised fist over CSKA in December 2021, full of young players and with 10 absences due to the pandemic, and also reminiscent of the block that fought against the tide in the Final Four in Kaunas to lift the championship title . Undesima. Just like then, The 2-3 zonal defense from almost start to finish played a decisive role as it knocked UCAM Murcia out of their rhythm and gave the Whites what they were missing by securing the rebound.what mattered: 27 against 42, just six attacks from Sito Alonso.

Elie Ndiaye, Hugo Gonzalez and Sidi Gueye (17 years old) played an important role, but also forwards Hilda Jimenez made their debut in the starting lineup (Spanish) and Declan Duru (German), who, by a coincidence of life, were born on the same day, January 12, 2007. Rebound, energy, desire and A great performance from the veterans who broke down the wall to claim their first away win of the season after six defeats. Tavares closed the basket (9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots), and Super Mario Hezonja (21 points, 16 in the third quarter, which turned the fight around) and the magnificent calm (16 and 4 assists as starting point guard) They played a key role in the offensive. Campazzo increased the rotation, Abalde did an exemplary job in zone defense and Dec, with just one basket, signed the team’s best +/-, +22 in 28:36 on the road. Dylan Ennis tried to respond, but it didn’t change the dynamic. UCAM was never found.

Role of zone 2-3

Panorama left Madrid with only six players over 20, plus Elie Ndiaye and Hugo Gonzalez, 20 and 18 respectively, who are in the first team, and three juniors (Hilda Jimenez, Declan Duru and Sidi Gueye). Chus Mateo and his coaching staff, faced with extreme instability, opted for a 2-3 zone defense.the same one that catapulted the Whites into the Euroleague in 2023. This back position keeps Tavares in the center and the other two biggest players on the court next to him. (Ndiye, Dec or Hezondja are usually two out of three) which allowed him to secure the rebound. In the line of two, on the outside, there is very good activity from Abalde, Lullia, Campazzo, Ugo… with the support of both. big from below it reached the corners very well, even a little higher.

Increase

Attack UKAMAs usually happens in front of the zone, he saw space to shoot, but he also slowed down, hesitated, waited and couldn’t. He played something different than usual. The 1 of 10 three-pointers that Murcia scored in the first half, as well as the fact that Real capitalized the rebound (26:12 at the break), in one fell swoop, solved several problems that accompanied it. Chus Mateo persisted in the zone and UCAM knew he needed to be more vertical, increase the tempo, and he did so when he found himself under 16 as the second quarter began: 11–27 with Hugo, Ndiaye and Sidi (this one from five Tavares) on the court at the same time. Arturs Kurucs appeared there with two threes and another from Ennis to light the fuse of the reaction. partial, which rose to 13-2 (24-29) and that Madrid managed to stop in time, again with an experienced quintet. Hezonja, whose first appearance on the bench was negative for his team, has made amends.

At halftime the score was 31-40, and then another local segment (38-43) before the match. Hezoni’s right hand in 7 minutes: four threes without a failure, one run and two free throws, 16 points that catapulted the champion to +20 (46-66).

The last quarter remained to open the door to the first away victory after six away defeats (four in the Euroleague and two in the DIA). In Europe, for example, in the fatal hall -13 on average from the WiZink Center. That wall, still insurmountable, fell in Murcia, in the same place where Madrid won their last league in June. Another triumph, this time heroic. a depleted squad, forcing a short rotation full of young players, but very effective. Zone 2-3, the energy of the children and the excellent play of the healthy core players combined to produce an outstanding performance.

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