MoraBanc Andorra Falls 98-102 in OT to Bilbao, Stays in ACB Relegation Zone

MoraBanc Andorra suffered a 98-102 overtime defeat to Surne Bilbao Basket at Pavelló Toni Martí on Saturday, remaining in the ACB relegation zone with 17 losses and six wins, matching San Pablo Burgos but trailing Casademont Zaragoza and Gran Canaria on seven victories each.

A near-full crowd of 3,593 saw Andorra miss a prime opportunity to escape the bottom spots, as Zaragoza later defeated Burgos in their head-to-head matchup. Bilbao, winners of 14 of their prior 16 games, rallied behind Justin Jaworski's 36 points, including three early overtime triples that swung momentum decisively.

Andorra started sluggishly, trailing 15-25 after the first quarter amid turnovers and defensive gaps that forced early timeouts from coach Žan Tabak. Sir'Jabari Rice led with 23 points for the third straight game, playing out of position at point guard, while Aaron Best added 21 and Artem Pustovyi 19. Interior contributions from Justin McKoy (11 points) and Oriol Pons (10) fueled a halftime push to 42-45.

The third quarter tightened at 61-63, leading to a tense fourth where Andorra grabbed brief leads via Pons and McKoy. Bilbao responded, but Best's late basket tied it at 87-87. Bilbao's final possession fizzled with 1.8 seconds left, handing Rice a buzzer-beating three that rimmed out, forcing overtime.

Jaworski dominated the extra period, sealing victory with free throws after late Andorra surges from McKoy and Best narrowed it to 98-100. Bilbao's Darrun Hilliard scored 18, Melwin Pantzar 17, Tryggvi Hlinason 10, and Petrasek 10. Partials: 15-25, 42-45, 61-63, 87-87, 98-102. Referees were Fernando Calatrava, Juan de Dios Oyón, and Fabio Fernández; Best fouled out.

Injuries plagued Andorra: Xavier Castañeda and Rafa Luz were out, Stan Okoye and Kyle Kuric limited before exiting, Rubén Guerrero played hurt, and Shannon Evans returned with a bandaged foot for 15 minutes, three points, one rebound, and two assists. Tabak praised the fight but highlighted poor free-throw execution and three costly turnovers, saying the team must compete at that level every night and learn from key mistakes. He expects recoveries ahead of Sunday's 17:00 home game against fourth-placed Baskonia.

Club president Gorka Aixàs urged resilience amid the injury wave, calling most traumatic rather than systemic, and stressed continuing work while healing players to win the next one. With 11 games left, Lleida lead relegation rivals on eight wins. Players like Chumi Ortega appealed to fans: "Don't abandon ship—we need you more than ever." Kostas Kostadinov noted a cold start, while Guerrero called it a tough home loss.