Joventut avoids surprise and gets into the quarterfinals of the Eurocup

The ‘Penya’ defeats the London Lions 89-78 in the Olímpico

MADRID, 12 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Joventut de Badalona beat the London Lions 89-78 this Wednesday in the round of 16 of the Eurocup, with an outstanding performance by the Croatian center Ante Tomic for his 16 points, and has avoided another negative surprise like last year in this same round, to now get into the quarterfinals.

La ‘Penya’, having finished the regular phase as the second best with a record of 13-5 in Group A, welcomed the seventh-placed player in Group B (8-10 record) at the Pavelló Olímpic. However, the bad experience last year, with defeat and goodbye precisely in the round of 16, was a ghost to be avoided against the Londoners.

Thanks to a 12-2 start, the Badalona team got the score back on track and even increased their lead to a maximum of +16 (39-23) midway through the second quarter. In addition, Carles Durán’s pupils applied calm and barely hesitated when their rival gave a rush on their return from the locker room.

Despite the 19 points scored by center Tomislav Zubcic, the London Lions ended up succumbing to a Joventut team that amended its mistakes in 2022 and that in the quarterfinals will face Hapoel Tel Aviv, the executioner this Wednesday of Reyer Venezia by 90 -80.