Basket Girona beat Ostende 91-76 in the EuroCup on Monday evening. The visitors made their presence felt from the opening tip and never let the hosts back into the contest. It was a convincing away performance that left little doubt about the outcome.
Ostende came into the game on a two-game winning streak, having beaten Zwolle 98-70 and Levice 76-69. By then they had every reason to believe they could match Girona's pace. They started with energy but the visitors were sharper in the opening minutes.
And here's the thing about the shooting numbers. Ostende managed 29 field goals from 69 attempts while Girona hit 35 from 66. The visitors were more efficient from distance too, despite Ostende taking more three-pointers. It added up to a 15-point margin that told the full story.
What struck me was the rebounding battle. Girona pulled down 38 boards compared to Ostende's 29, and that difference mattered in transition. They also forced 16 turnovers from the hosts while committing only 18 themselves. To be fair, Ostende did record 11 steals but it wasn't enough to disrupt Girona's rhythm.
The visitors have had a mixed run recently. They lost heavily to Breogan 115-92 and Baskonia 118-78, but they bounced back against Dinamo Bucharest with an 87-75 win. This result shows they can compete when they play with discipline.
Ostende now have something to ponder before their next fixture. They dominated the boards in their previous games but Girona controlled the glass and the tempo. The hosts finished with 21 assists to Girona's 15, but assists mean little when you're trailing by 15.
