Surne Bilbao hold off Slavia Prague in a hard-fought win

Surne Bilbao had to work hard to overcome Slavia Prague, winning 97-86 in the second round of the Champions League. It was Bilbao’s second victory in the competition and put the team level with Alba Berlin at the top of its group.

Surne made the early running. With Bastien Vautier left out, the team opened up a significant 16-6 lead after five minutes, helped by Darling’s outside shooting and Hustak’s work. Slavia stayed in touch through Rylich and McCollum. Bilbao could not extend its advantage before the break, reached at 42-35 after a three-pointer from Font.

Bilbao’s more experienced players made their mark at key moments. Krampelj scored 19 points, Hlinason added 17 points and 6 rebounds, while Normantas and Petrasek contributed 14 and 12 points respectively. Jaromir Bohacik led Slavia with 17 points and 4 rebounds, helping keep his team in the contest. After another Slavia push, the margin grew to 58-49; Petrasek then answered a further comeback attempt with five consecutive points, making it 73-67 midway through the fourth quarter.

Kriz, Bohm and Hustak all fouled out.