Cuban Rivero wins basketball Champions League

HAVANA, Cuba, May 10 (ACN) For the second consecutive year, Cuban Jasiel Rivero and his club Hereda San Pablo Burgos, from Spain, won the title in the European Basketball Champions League, ratifying that they are currently the kings of that competition.

In a low-scoring game, in which both teams were very erratic in shooting from the field and from the perimeter, the Burgos team came out on top with a 64-59 victory over Pinar Karsiyaka, from Turkey, at the Sports Palace in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, venue of the Final 8 of the tournament.

Once again, the team from Burgos showed "cold blood" in the moments of greatest tension, to overcome the resistance of a Turkish team that did everything to bring down the reigning champions from their throne.

The match started with a 15-13 advantage for the winners in the first quarter, while in the second their opponents won by the minimum 15-14.

After the break, the now two-time champions took a decisive step in the third period by dominating 17-11, and although their opponents won 20-18 in the fourth quarter, they could not turn the game around.

For the winners, Rivero contributed nine points, five rebounds and an assist, while captain Vítor Benite (15) and Alex Renfroe (14) had double figures, according to the official website of the tournament.

On the opposite side, Amath Mbaye (17), Raymar Morgan (13) and Metecan Birsen (10) were the most outstanding players.

On their way to the crown, the team from Burgos beat 86-77 Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon, from Israel, in the quarterfinals, and in the next round they defeated 81-70 the French team Strasbourg IG, in one of the semifinals.

In those duels, the Cuban basketball player played a leading role with good performances, first contributing 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists against the Israelis.

Then, against the representatives of France, he contributed 16 points, six rebounds and two assists, for a rating of 19, the highest of his team.

With this result, the club from Burgos repeats the feat of 2020, when they won the team's first trophy in the basketball Champions League with an 85-74 victory in the final against AEK Athens of Greece.