Madrid: into the Cup semi-final

Real Madrid took the first step on their road to the Copa del Rey by defeating Baxi Manresa in the quarterfinals. Chus Mateo's team dominated from start to finish and, built on superb defensive foundations, they got a win that allows them to fight for a place in the final against the winner of Dreamland Gran Canaria-Valencia Basket (Saturday, 9:30 pm CET). Hezonja was excellent, particularly in the final quarter, scoring 24 points with a PIR of 25.

Madrid started stronger at the Gran Canaria Arena with Tavares prominent in the zone and Campazzo dictating the pace (7-0). But the Catalan team soon hit their straps and responded with several quick transitions led by Alston Jr. for a 0-8 run. From then on the game was even with neither team allowing their opponent to open up a scoreboard advantage. And that's how a very even first quarter ended (22-22).

Impenetrable defense
Chus Mateo's team came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second quarter thanks to Hezonja (10 points) and Llull's accuracy from the perimeter. In less than two minutes they pulled ahead with an 11-2 run (33-24). The offense of both teams waned as the minutes went by, but Madrid managed to make up for this with a very frugal defense. They benefitted from Ibaka's work (3 blocks) and Garuba, who shut down the rebound very well (4). All this allowed them to go into the break with a +13 advantage (43-30).

The start after the break was a carbon copy of the end of the second quarter. Madrid maintained their defensive solidity while being successful with two-pointers (over 70%) to reach their biggest lead at 59-37. Musa was the standout with 6 points and 4 rebounds. However, Manresa shored up their defense and became more aggressive to keep the game alive (65-49).

Hezonja seals it
Our rivals didn’t go down easily despite going 11 points behind. But Madrid didn't falter and stepped on the gas. Led once again by Llull and Hezonja, they removed any doubt and achieved a +15 with six minutes to go. The Croatian forward, with three practically consecutive three-pointers (24 points), killed the game and our team booked their place in the semifinals of the 2025 Cup.
REAL MADRID-BAXI MANRESA STATISTICS