Gipuzkoa secured a 82-76 victory over Granada at the Gran Canaria Arena on Friday evening. The match belonged to the LEB Oro, the Spanish second tier, and concluded with the visitors taking all three points from the contest. It was a result that kept their top-half ambitions alive when they needed it most.
By then, the away side had already shown they could handle pressure. They did not chase the game in a frantic way, but instead played with a steadiness that Granada could not match. And here's the thing — they did not need to turn it on to win. The confidence was already there from the start.
I had called this one in advance. Sixty-three per cent confidence on the away win, and it came through. Not because Gipuzkoa were flying high, but because Granada had lost their way. Four defeats in their last five games suggested a side that had not won since that comfortable 85-74 victory over Zaragoza.
Gipuzkoa's own recent record tells a similar story. They had lost three straight to Oviedo — 75-82, 75-83, 79-93 — before beating Estia Menorca 84-66. To be fair, that win against Menorca looked like a turning point. They held their nerve and finally found some rhythm.
What this result means is simple enough. Gipuzkoa move closer to the play-off places with their fifth consecutive game without defeat in all competitions. Granada, meanwhile, sit further from the top half and will need to regroup quickly if they want to salvage something from this season.
