Mendez’s men press in their second trial for the Eurobasket, a very physical duel with two scares
MADRID, 26 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish women’s basketball team beat China (76-60) this Friday in the second friendly preparation for the Eurobasket next month, a clash of tough defenses in Vigo that the hostess scored with a great Raquel Carrera ( 21 points).
Miguel Méndez’s team gave an account of the world runner-up at the As Travesas Sports Complex with another good defense, as in the 55-44 win over Italy 24 hours earlier. The Galician coach made clear his intention to try things in defense, take advantage of two prestigious rivals to grow ahead of the European event.
Spain complied again against the Asians, who held out until the last minutes of the match. The four-time European champion counted on Carrera, inspired at home, as a reference in the rival ring and sealed the second test, before playing another two games in Córdoba, against Turkey and Belgium. Hungary, there, will be the last two, five days before the continental debut against Latvia.
Mendez’s side endured the high rhythm of the duel against the Chinese. The week and a half of concentration also paid off and Spain accepted the strong start, without triples but with Laura Gil, Ginzo and Queralt Casas. China won the rebounding battle and also pressed on defense, leaving the Spanish several losses.
This was the second set, until the locals recovered the good line with Carrera. With 34-34 ahead of the second half, Spain took another step in Méndez’s tests and dried up the rival attack, achieving an already substantial difference (54-40). However, then came the scares of Ouviña and Cazorla.
La maña, highlighted with 11 points, twisted her right ankle two minutes into the second half and, shortly after, the Canary Islander feared the worst with her right knee. “It seems that luckily it’s nothing, a scare,” said her partner Laura Gil after the meeting, in statements to TVE, collected by Europa Press.
With the second mishap and seeing Maite in tears, the Spanish lost their way in their mission and allowed China to tighten the scoring at the start of the last quarter. An oversight that served to demonstrate the potential of a Spain that did not take long to recover the good mattress and sentence the passage through Vigo with a double.