Victory over Manresa in the first league outing

Real Madrid stuck to the script and, as they have been doing consecutively since the 1998/99 season, took the win at the Nou Congost, their first away win this season. Chus Mateo's side defeated Baxi Manresa in a hard-fought game in which they had to pull together as a team due to the important absences of Tavares, Rudy and Deck. They did it with a formidable Musa 23 points, 5 three pointers and 31 PIR and Campazzo 15 points, 8 assists, 4 steals and 24 PIR. The Llull-Ndiaye duo was decisive in the final stretch to level the game. The Clásico arrives at the WiZink Center in less than 48 hours Sunday, 6:30pm CET.
 
Madrid first withstood the energetic start from Manresa with some great accuracy from three-point range. Three-pointers from Yabusele, Campazzo and Musa, the team's best player at the start 7 points, seemed to calm the home side's spirits 8-13, min.3. Tavares was not on court today nor were Rudy or Deck and Poirier was in the starting line-up. When he was not on court, our opponents dominated the rebounding and, with the entry of Vaulet 7 points, they turned the score around to end the first quarter with a 26-22 lead.
 
Step forward in defence
Manresa continued with high shooting percentages and a fast pace of play. Madrid were coping with the emergence of players such as Sergio Rodríguez, Causeur and Hezonja, but the problem was mainly in defence. Both Robinson and Steinbergs took advantage of this for their side 39-33, min.16. Campazzo's return to court changed the momentum of the game. The point guard's aggressiveness rubbed off on our team, who upped their level of intensity at the back and, based on turnovers 3 by the Argentinean and 9 by the team as a whole in the first half and counterattacks, we halted the home side's momentum. A 3-10 run in our favour, with 5 points from Abalde and good work from Poirier in the paint, allowed us to make it 42-43 before the break.

The second half started at a devilishly fast pace. Defence was forgotten and the offensive play took centre stage. Madrid hit the three pointers with precision and Manresa responded with short but effective attacks. Seven points from Yabusele countered those of Geben and Badio. Musa took the baton from the Frenchman 11 points in the third quarter and with the emergence of Llull 5, Madrid enjoyed a 10-point lead at 61-71 at the 28' mark. Manresa, encouraged by their fans, did not lower their intensity and punished Madrid's mistakes.
 
Strength in numbers
The game levelled out again in the next few minutes after some Manresa possession put them back in front 79-78. In addition, Poirier's fifth personal foul and the entry into added time complicated things. There were six minutes left and our opponents looked very sharp. But this Madrid knows how to suffer and has a lot of resources. Llull took a step forward. The captain opened the way to victory with two three-pointers of his own. He was followed by Musa, who scored 23 points with 5/7 three-pointers, and a decisive Ndiaye. The young Madrid centre was decisive in the final stretch with his contribution in both areas. A basket by Campazzo plus an extra foul brought the win closer to us with an 8-point lead in the 38th minute. Manresa tried to get their head in the game but it was impossible. They got within four points but Llull closed the game surging into the paint 88-94. Long may the streak continue. That's 21 wins in a row in Manresa.