Hoops Nena -- the blog

Perfumerias Avenida put down UB Barcelona to win the title (57-50)

With a 57-50 win in a game that saw them subdue UB Barcelona in the fourth quarter, Perfumerias Avenida have finally captured their first Women's League title. Avenida did not waste the opportunity to decide the final in front of their hometown fans, topping off a great season by winning the Queen's Cup.

Salamanca, 9 May. 2006 (EFE) --

Tonight, Perfumerias Avenida de Salamanca won their first Women's Premier League title after defeating UB Barcelona 57-50 in the fourth game of the series to win by three games to one.
Before a packed house, surrounded by fans who never quit shouting for even one minute, the Salmantine team wrapped up a picture-perfect season in which they not only won the league title but also were Queen's Cup champions.
Everything seemed to indicate that the start of the game would set the tone for its development. Indeed, it was Barcelona that jumped ahead at first and Avenida appeared unable to do anything to surprise their rival.
Little by little, and thanks to the contribution of Avenida's pair of Americans, the Salmantinas started to recover the strength of their defense and the sureness of their offensive attack. They began to put points on the board.
In the second quarter, Barcelona made much better choices in their shot selection, but not in their game overall. On the other hand, they didn't make so many mistakes as to allow Avenidas a clear scoring advantage.
A change seemed imminent in the third quarter when the Salmantinas looked lifeless on offense and even failed to score on eight straight possessions.
Fortunately for Barcelona, they knew how to exploit these lapses. Although they too were having a rough day offensively, they continued to attack the basket and put points on the board, taking over the lead through sheer will.
With Barcelona leading by only four points, both teams fell into a frenzy, with each team jockeying for advantage and trying to catch the other off balance.
The main job for Avenida, which they achieved in short order, was to put the brakes on against Barcelona and keep them from scoring more.
Two straight offensive drives immediately after allowed the Salmantinas to even the score; shortly thereafter, they recovered the lead for the final time, never relinquishing it. At the last, Avenida took advantage of a pair of Barcelona breakdowns, crushing the Azulgrana's last hope of victory.
Box score: 57 - Perfumerías Avenida (24+11+5+17): Nuria Martínez (7), Laura Camps (2), Elena Tornikidou (16), Taj McWilliams (14) y Kelly Schumacher (18). También jugaron: Clara Bermejo (-) y Katia Da Silva (-)
50 - UB Barcelona (15+13+16+6): Helen Luz (8), Marta Fernández (1), Sandra Gallego (7), Ingrid Pons (2) y Erika da Souza (12). También jugaron: Elsa Donaire (3), Laura Antoja (1) y Razja Bracaninovic (16).
source: El Perfumerías Avenida se impone al UB Barcelona y logra el título (57-50)