Baxi Manresa delivered an impressive performance on Greek soil, defeating Aris Thessaloniki 86-79 on Tuesday to claim their third win of the Eurocup season. Retin Obasohan led the charge with 20 points, playing a pivotal role in Diego Ocampo’s side earning a hard-fought victory away from home.
The Catalan team showed no early nerves in Thessaloniki, jumping out to a quick lead behind a strong start from Alfonso Plummer, who helped push the score to 14-3 by the fifth minute. Aris attempted to cut into the deficit, but another triple from the Puerto Rican guard restored comfort for Manresa (20-13, min. 8). At the end of the first quarter, Baxi Manresa held a comfortable 27-18 advantage, though everyone knew the home side would respond.
True to form, Aris erupted early in the second quarter, trimming the gap to just two points after a brilliant play from Mitrou-Long (31-29, min. 14). The hosts continued to improve and took their first lead when former ACB player Steven Enoch nailed a three-pointer (43-40, min. 18). Just as it seemed Aris would head into halftime ahead, Retin Obasohan drew a foul at the buzzer and converted free throws to make it 44-43, keeping Manresa in front.
After the break, Aris tried to pull away with three-pointers from another ex-ACB player, Arnoldas Kulboka (51-48, min. 24), but Manresa never backed down and prevented the Greeks from building a lead larger than five points. Following a stretch of errors, Grant Golden provided calm in the paint with strong post moves, putting his team back in front (61-58, min. 27).
The visitors carried a 66-64 lead into the final quarter. In the last ten minutes, Baxi Manresa turned into a whirlwind led by Agustín Ubal, quickly extending the advantage to eight points and forcing a local timeout (74-66, min. 33). The Catalan players showed no fear of winning in such a hostile arena, and Obasohan sealed the deal with a driving layup to make it 85-77 with a minute left. Final score: 86-79 in Thessaloniki, marking Manresa’s third win of the Eurocup season and keeping them near the top of Group A.
