REPORT | 04/01/2015
Three consecutive three-pointers by Rudy Fernández in the fourth quarter swung the game in Real Madrid's favour.- Liga Endesa
- Matchday 15
- Sun, 04 Jan
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79After a week that saw them travel to Malaga, Belgrade and Andorra, Real Madrid entered the court with an unorthodox starting five, with Sergio Rodríguez pulling the strings. The Whites quickly began to show their abilities from the three-point line. Three straight three-pointers, two from Rudy and another from K.C. Rivers, gave Real Madrid a 3-13 lead on the scoreboard midway through the opening quarter. But the Andorran team reacted quickly and answered back with a run of 14-5 to finish out the tight first quarter 17-18.
A warning from the three-pointer line
Laso's charges continued to make the most of their accuracy from the three-point line. The first such score came from the hands of Nocioni and was instantly followed up with two more from Llull, who was splendid during this period of the game. But it was Mejri who really made the difference. With 8 points on the bounce, the Tunisian gave his team their biggest lead (26-37, min 16). Despite the setback, the Andorrans did not capitulate and hit back with a run of 10-2 to almost draw the score level (36-39, min 18), showing that they were not going to let the game get away from them so easily.
Their intensity in offence, with Ivanov looking to get his team out of their predicament, meant that Madrid went into the half-time break with just a 5-point advantage despite having scored 13 during the quarter: 36-41.
Llull, Rudy and Reyes all finished the game with double digits.
After the restart, for which Maciulis was unable to return to the court due to a knock he received during the first half, Laso's players displayed good intensity in offence and defence which, coupled with various back-to-back errors committed by the Andorrans, saw them extend their lead to 40-53 in the 25th minute. But there was to be more excitement. Morabanc Andorra, getting the ball to Schereiner, managed to string 11 consecutive points together (including three three-pointers) to make it 51-54. Even though Rudy, Reyes and Llull were playing excellently, MoraBanc were well in the game going into the last quarter after winning the third, with the score reading 57-60.
Rudy, reliable as ever
Once again, it all came down to the final ten minutes. A lack of shooting accuracy hindered Madrid during the first few minutes. And along with the efforts of the home team, who fortunately were not at their sharpest either, the score drew level 62-62, with six minutes left until the final buzzer. A basket by Llull and three three-pointers by Rudy, without a doubt the game's MVP, were the highlights of the overly complicated fourth quarter. And that is what swung the game in Real Madrid's favour, with the team recording their first league win of 2015.
