Louis Olinde delivered a game-winning layup at the buzzer on Wednesday, propelling BAXI Manresa to a 97-96 victory over Lithuanian side Neptunas Klaipeda in the EuroCup. The win puts Manresa on the verge of qualifying for the round of 16.
The German forward finished with a season-high 24 points in European competition, leading the Catalan team’s thrilling comeback. Neptunas was powered by Arnas Velicka (25 points) and Mindaugas Girdziunas (21 points), but Olinde’s heroics sealed the deal at Nou Congost.
Trailing 48-64 with 15 minutes left, Manresa roared back with a 35-23 fourth quarter. Olinde’s decisive basket capped the rally, giving the Bages-based side its ninth European win of the campaign.
Despite several key absences, Manresa started with intensity, hitting three early three-pointers to jump ahead 15-10. But when the outside shooting cooled, Neptunas answered with a 0-7 run to take a 17-15 lead. Coach Diego Ocampo called a timeout to adjust the defense and restore offensive rhythm.
The response was only partial. A buzzer-beating triple from Velicka gave Neptunas a 24-22 edge after the first quarter. The visitors maintained their hot shooting from deep, building a 34-29 lead. Manresa’s spark came from the Bassas-Akobundu-Ehiogu connection, Gaspà’s fearless play, and an inspired Olinde, who had 13 points by halftime to bring the score to 37-35.
However, Manresa lost its discipline again. The game turned into a back-and-forth affair with poor consistency on both ends. Neptunas exploited every mismatch, especially Girdziunas, who went 4-for-4 on threes in the second quarter, pushing the visitors to a 53-46 halftime lead.
After the break, the gap widened to 64-48 as Manresa looked sluggish, committing four
