MoraBanc Andorra Falls 82-75 to Girona Amid Triple Power Outages, Drops into ACB Relegation Zone

MoraBanc Andorra lost 82-75 to Bàsquet Girona on Sunday in a match plagued by three power outages at Fontajau Pavilion, dropping the Tricolors into the ACB relegation zone after Burgos defeated Baskonia. The defeat marked Andorra's 16th loss, tying them with Burgos and Casademont Zaragoza on six wins each and leaving them in penúltima position with 12 rounds remaining.

The 2-hour-35-minute game drew 4,734 spectators and saw repeated lighting failures, each halting play for about 20 minutes. Fans displayed banners calling for a "dignified pavilion," and Girona president Marc Gasol showed visible frustration amid the disruptions.

Coach Žan Tabak had warned on Friday of the need to match Girona's physicality and pace following Andorra's recent home win over Zaragoza. "We must equal their physical participation, avoid easy transition points, and control offensive rebounds," he said in the preview, stressing consistent competition regardless of venue.

Andorra struggled from the tip-off, scoring just 12 points in the first quarter amid eight turnovers, poor execution, and defensive breakdowns. Sir’Jabari Rice, the new signing, had five early turnovers and went 0-for-4 from the field. The first blackout came after Kyle Kuric's triple—his 100th for the club off Rafa Luz's 1,000th ACB assist—leaving the score at 18-12.

Girona extended the lead with a 9-0 run early in the second, reaching 41-27 at halftime behind Pep Busquets' buzzer-beater triple. Andorra shot 3-of-16 from two-point range and trailed 22-4 in paint points at stages. A second outage hit with a 23-point gap (56-33) late in the third.

The Tricolors mounted a fierce fourth-quarter rally, outscoring Girona 25-7 at one stretch to close within five (65-60) on triples from Stan Okoye, Yves Pons, and Rice. Kostadinov dominated inside late, but turnovers allowed Otis Livingston (16 points) to spark a decisive 7-0 run. A third blackout struck with 19 seconds left.

Without injured Shannon Evans (calf) or Morris Udeze (absent from squad), Tabak started Luz, Aaron Best, Okoye, Justin McKoy, and Artem Pustovyi. Rice led Andorra with 19 points, Okoye added 15, Kuric 13, and Pons 11. Girona got 14 from Busquets, 11 from Martinas Geben, and 10 from Nikola Marić.

Post-game, Tabak urged calm: "We need a cool head now. If we let emotions take over, it'll be hard to get out. We just need wins." Andorra host Bilbao Basket next Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Toni Martí Pavilion.