Murcia unleashes its offensive and sets a historical record

The UCAM Murcia wrote a historic chapter in the Palacio de los Deportes last Saturday. With 125 points scored against iLERNA Lleida, the Murcians surpassed their previous record of 123 points, set just a season ago in a loss of 131-123 against Real Madrid after two overtimes. The victory by 125-98 represents not only a decisive win but also an offensive milestone in the nearly thirty years the team has been competing at the highest level of Spanish basketball.

The performance was so extraordinary that it transcended the simple final score. According to ACB data, Sito Alonso's team not only broke their historical record for points but also recorded their best second half in the Liga Endesa with 65 points, matched their best scoring quarter with 40 points in the final period, and established a new collective evaluation record with 142 points. In the last two minutes of the game, Murcia scored 17 consecutive points to decisively close out the dominance, going from 108-91 to the final score of 125-98.

Four records in one night and six shooters in double digits

The Murcian offense was an exercise in precision and distributed power. Six UCAM players finished with at least 10 points and a rating of 10, reflecting a balanced attack distribution. Howard Sant-Roos led the scoring with 24 points and a rating of 28, particularly standing out in the first half with 22 points. Michael Forrest contributed 22 points and a rating of 16, while Dylan Ennis added 19 points with a rating of 21. Emanuel Cate chipped in with 14 points and a rating of 19, Souley Boum finished with 13 points and a rating of 10, and Jean-Marc Pansa rounded out the list with 10 points and a rating of 14.

Sant-Roos, with his 24 points, tied his personal best in the ACB, as confirmed by Mundo Deportivo. This level of collective offensive performance is unusual in the Spanish competition. The ACB added a relevant contextual note: in the last 35 years, only Valencia Basket (with 60 and 61 points against GBC in April 2016) and Real Madrid (with 60 and 69 points against Fuenlabrada in May 2016) had managed to score 60 or more points in both halves of the same game. UCAM Murcia joined that select group of offensive elite.

Murcia adds its second consecutive victory

Saturday's victory represents the second consecutive win for the Murcian team, which now levels its record at 3-3 in the Liga Endesa standings. Although they are in eleventh position awaiting the Sunday matches, this offensive display sends a clear message about the potential of Sito Alonso's team.

On the other hand, iLERNA Lleida is going through a tough time. With a record of 1-5, the Catalans find themselves in second-last place, just ahead of Kids&Us Manresa, which has a 0-5 record. Gerard Encuentra's team has now lost five consecutive games. The previous week, Lleida had already conceded 122 points against Real Madrid, in the game where the Whites set the ACB three-point record. Allowing 125 points in two consecutive games highlights the defensive problems of the Catalan team.

Sito Alonso’s words after the rout

Sito Alonso was clear in his statements reported by EFE after the convincing victory. "I want to emphasize the pride and unity of the group to find the intensity we want both in attack and defense. Without that intensity, it would have been difficult to beat Lleida as we did," said the coach. He summarized the performance with a phrase that captured the essence of their display: "We had UCAM identity." This declaration emphasizes that the victory was not random but the result of disciplined execution and collective commitment.

Gerard Encuentra's analysis and the upcoming match

From the opposite bench, Gerard Encuentra was direct in his assessment. "I congratulate UCAM for their victory. They were better from the start, and in the first quarter, they scored 34 points and 60 by halftime," acknowledged the Lleida coach. Encuentra identified the root problem: "The summary is that without defense, it's impossible to win." The Catalan coach added that his team needs to "do a thorough analysis, starting with myself, and try to find solutions."

Looking ahead, UCAM Murcia already has its next challenge on the horizon. Sito Alonso was asked about the visit to Real Madrid, their next opponent. The Murcian coach was realistic: "It's irresponsible to think about winning when Murcia has never won there, and what we need to do is work knowing that it won't be easy against a team built for things other than competing with us." This reflection brings a dose of reality after the euphoria of the 125 points, reminding that the next match will be at the venue where Murcia set its previous record of 123 points.

iLERNA Lleida will host Kosner Baskonia in the seventh round on Saturday, November 7, at 9:00 PM, hoping to stop their negative streak. UCAM Murcia will visit Real Madrid on Sunday, November 8, at 7:00 PM, before returning to the Basketball Champions League on Wednesday, November 11, at 8:30 PM against Bamberg in the second round of the group stage.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Murcia desata su ofensiva y bate un récord histórico