Mario Hezonja leads Real Madrid past resilient Marc Gasol's Girona / News - Basketnews.com

Mario Hezonja exploded in the second quarter to lead Real Madrid past efficient Marc Gasol and Girona Basquet.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Marc Gasol dominated in his comeback game but Mario Hezonja's strong offensive performance propelled Real Madrid past Girona Basquet 94-88 (17-20, 28-16, 24-21, 25-31).

Player of the Game EFF 26 Mario Hezonja Points 23 Accuracy 9-15 Rebounds 7 Assists 0

Marc Gasol played in the ACB for the first time in 14 years. The Spanish basketball legend did not disappoint the local fans as he recorded the highest efficiency rating in the entire match.

The veteran center scored 21 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists for 34 PIR.

Girona started the game much better and even held a 10-point lead in the first quarter (17-7). Real struggled offensively at first but then Mario Hezonja's show started.

After playing under 10 minutes and looking odd in Real's picture in the SuperCup several days ago, the Croatian forward exploded offensively and quickly scored 11 points in just several minutes of play.

Hezonja continued dominating and helped Real take a 9-point lead in the second quarter (36-27).

The powerhouse from Madrid maintained a similar lead throughout the second and third quarters. With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Kameron Taylor converted two free throws to narrow the deficit to four (76-72) but it was not enough as Real finished the match with a more solid showing on both sides of the court.

Mario Hezonja led Real Madrid with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting with 7 rebounds in his account. Guerschon Yabusele added 17 points and 6 rebounds.

Besides Gasol, Kameron Taylor was the top-scorer on Girona's roster with 22 points on 6-for-11 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Girona: Kameron Taylor 22 (4/9 2PT, 5 REB, 6 AST), Marc Gasol 21 (1/5 2PT, 3/3 3PT, 10/12 FT, 7 REB, 7 AST, 34 PIR), Dusan Miletic 13 (5/5 2PT).

Real: Mario Hezonja 23 (4/8 2PT, 5/7 3PT, 7 REB), Guerschon Yabusele 17 (5/7 2PT, 6 REB), Dzenan Musa 15 (3/7 3PT, 4 AST, 5 TO), Sergio Rodriguez 11 (3/3 3PT), Sergio Llull 11 (3/7 3PT).

Mario Hezonja's highlights:

Full game highlights:

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