La Laguna Tenerife staged an impressive comeback to eliminate FC Barcelona 91-86 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Copa del Rey basketball tournament, held at the Gran Canaria Arena. The match was marked by the unfortunate injury of Barcelona's Kevin Punter, who dislocated his shoulder during the game, leaving the Catalans to face several challenges against the resilient Tenerife side.
During the first quarter, it seemed like Barcelona had control of the game, leading 33-23 by the end of the first period thanks to solid performances from Tomas Satoransky and Darío Brizuela. Satoransky, with his sharp shooting, helped build the lead, and Brizuela capped off the quarter with a buzzer-beater three-pointer. Throughout the second quarter, Barcelona maintained their lead, heading to halftime with a score of 54-47. Their strong three-point shooting (7/12) and rebounding efforts kept them afloat.
But the tide turned dramatically during the second half. The turning point came when Punter, who had been instrumental to the team's performance, left the game due to his shoulder injury. His absence began to weigh heavily on Barcelona's strategies. Even with Punter off the court, the team tried to hold onto their lead, ending the third quarter at 73-66 favoring Barcelona.
Yet, as the final quarter unfolded, Tenerife—led by veteran Marcelinho Huertas—refused to back down. Huertas scored 12 points in the fourth quarter alone, showcasing his experience and leadership, and bringing his total to 22 points by the game’s conclusion. This surge helped Tenerife close the gap and eventually take control of the match.
With just minutes left, tensions were high as both teams battled fiercely. After executing several key plays, including sharp three-pointers from Thomas Scrubb and Aaron Doornekamp, Tenerife edged past Barcelona, tying the game and then surging to seize the lead.
Barcelona's coach Joan Peñarroya expressed disappointment post-game, acknowledging the struggles during the third quarter. "Congratulations to Tenerife; we had problems with turnovers and stopped attacking well," he noted. On the other side, Huertas was celebratory, saying, "I am ecstatic. Winning this match proves this team has tremendous heart and quality. We had a bad start; Barça came out incredible, but we managed to come back." His response reflects the determination and resilience of the Tenerife team.
With this victory, La Laguna Tenerife now progresses to the semifinals, where they will face Unicaja Málaga, who defeated Joventut de Badalona earlier. The matchup promises to be thrilling, especially considering the history between these teams, as Unicaja had previously eliminated Tenerife from the finals last year.
The Copa del Rey continues to showcase the fierce competition among the top Spanish basketball clubs, with Tenerife's win marking yet another chapter in this dynamic tournament. The next round of matches, now highly anticipated, will bring together teams vying for the coveted title, aiming for glory on the court.