Tenerife wins FIBA Basketball Champions League
The thrilling 2021-22 Basketball Champions League season has culminated in Lenovo Tenerife winning the first Final between two teams from the same country over BAXI Manresa by 98-87.
Turning point: There was no separation between the two teams after one quarter, with Tenerife leading 27-25, the most points in a single quarter in a BCL Final (52). A couple of players got off to a hot start for their respective teams. Manresa’s Chima Moneke scored the team’s first 12 points.
Meanwhile, Tenerife’s Sasu Salin scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first quarter.
Manresa outscored Tenerife in the second quarter to gain the slight 50-49 edge at halftime. This was the highest scoring first half (99 points) of a BCL Final Four game.
Tenerife got things going to begin the second half and was able to extend their lead thanks to outscoring Manresa 33-17 and going on an 11-3 run at the end of the third quarter. Tenerife led 82-67, heading to the final quarter. Tenerife’s 33-point quarter, which proved too much for Manresa to overcome, is the second-most points by any team in a single quarter of a BCL Final.
Game hero: Marcelinho Huertas, who was named MVP of the Final Four, recorded a 13-point, 14-assist double-double along with three rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting from the field.
Huertas became the first player to dish out at least ten assists in a BCL Final and the second player to register a double-double in a BCL Final.
The 38-year-old has now dished out 350 assists in the BCL, becoming only the second player to have reached that milestone in BCL history.
Stats don’t lie: Tenerife assisted on 26 of their 40 total field goals, while Manresa only dished out 12 assists as a team. The 26 assists are the most by a team in a BCL Final.
Tenerife shot the ball very well, around 66 percent from the field and 54 percent from three-point. Their field goal percentage was the highest for a team in a BCL game from the Quarter-Finals on.
Bottom line: By winning the title this season, Tenerife has become the second team, along with Hereda San Pablo Burgos (2019-20, 2020-21), to win multiple BCL championships. Tenerife also won the inaugural BCL season in 2016-17.
After a great season, Manresa will settle for second place and was led by Moneke, who finished with 24 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line.
The 26-year-old is only the second player to have scored 20+ points in a BCL Final.
