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.

Tenerife wins FIBA Basketball Champions League

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