Monday, March 9, 2009

LFB (Spain) Queen's Cup Finals 2009 - Ros Casares 65, Ibiza 60




The players receive their individual trophies, each one a replica of the giant one.

Even though Ros Casares has a claim to being the best team in Spanish pro basketball, one should not count out Ibiza. Ibiza upset Euroleague semifinalist Perfumerias in the first round and played a close game against Ros Casares before falling 65-60 in the Queen's Cup finals.

Despite the loss, Sancho Lyttle was named the MVP of the Queen's Cup.

The box score is here. A gallery of the game is here and a gallery of championship photos is here.

The first half of the game might be explained away as a case of exhaustion - this was the third game both teams had played in three days and the first half was a low-scoring affair. El Ros only led 12-11 after the first quarter and Ibiza held Ros Casares to just nine second-quarter points to take a 25-21 lead into halftime.

Ibiza managed to hang on to the lead after three quarters, 46-41, but in the fourth quarter it was all Ros Casares - Ros Casares scored 24 fourth-quarter points, holding Ibiza to just 14 points in the final ten minutes. Ros Caseras took the lead with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, and never let it go.

Both teams were evenly accurate on the court - Ibiza hit 43 percent of its free throw attempts, and Ros Casares hit 42 percent - Ibiza also went 6-for-12 from 3-point distance. Ibiza outrebounded Ros Casares 32-27, but turned the ball over 21 times compared to Ros Casares's 17 turnovers. Both teams would hit 14 free throws - but compare Ros Casares's 14-for-15 shoooting with Ibiza's 14-for-24.

The two teams will next play each other this Saturday in a regular-season game.

Ros Casares

Anna Montañana: 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
Erika de Souza: 10 points and 9 rebounds. Only shot 3-for-10 but hit all for of her free throws.
Delisha Milton-Jones: 8 points in 24 minutes of play.
Candace Wiggins: 4 points in 13 minutes of play.

Ibiza

Sancho Lyttle: 13 points and 13 rebounds for the game's only double-double.
Silvia Morales Martin: 17 points and 3 rebounds.
Shannon Johnson: 7 points in 36 minutes of play. Five turnovers.

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