Molina Basket 71, Refitel Nadunet Basquet Lliria 81 — Refitel Nadunet Basquet Lliria controlled the second half and pulled away for an 81-71 road win over Molina Basket in Copa del Rey de Baloncesto action on Sunday night. A balanced offensive performance and a decisive third-quarter run gave the visitors a lead they never looked like surrendering.

Game flow: visitors take command after the break

Molina Basket started brightly in front of their home crowd, matching their opponents basket for basket through the opening ten minutes and keeping the game within a single possession for much of the first half. The hosts' energy on the offensive glass and their willingness to push the ball in transition kept them in touch, but Lliria's superior half-court discipline began to tell as the game wore on.

Leading 41-35 at the interval, Lliria opened the third quarter with a sustained run that stretched the advantage into double figures. From there the visitors managed the game expertly, slowing the tempo, drawing fouls and forcing Molina to chase. The home side never stopped working, trimming the deficit to six late in the fourth, but Lliria's free-throw shooting sealed the result.

Quarter-by-quarter scoring

• First quarter: Molina 17, Lliria 22
• Second quarter: Molina 18, Lliria 19
• Third quarter: Molina 19, Lliria 20
• Fourth quarter: Molina 17, Lliria 20
• Final: Molina Basket 71, Refitel Nadunet Basquet Lliria 81

Key moments

• Lliria closed the first quarter with a 7-0 burst that turned a tight opening into a five-point lead.
• A 10-2 run early in the third quarter pushed the visitors' advantage to 13 and forced a Molina timeout.
• Molina responded with a spirited fourth-quarter push, cutting the gap to six with three minutes to play.
• Back-to-back buckets from Lliria's shooting guard ended the comeback attempt for good.

Tactical story

This was a game decided by shot quality. Lliria consistently generated open looks through patient ball movement, working the ball inside-out and punishing Molina's help defense with kick-out threes. Their guards handled pressure well, turning the ball over only sparingly and keeping the offense organized even when Molina ramped up its full-court pressure late.

Molina's best moments came when they played fast. Their transition attack produced easy baskets and got the home crowd involved, but in the half court they too often settled for contested jumpers. A difficult night from beyond the arc — under 30 percent as a team — left them with too much ground to make up in the closing minutes.

Standout players

Lliria's backcourt duo dictated the contest, combining for 38 points and controlling tempo from start to finish. Their small forward added 14 points and seven rebounds, while the interior rotation did the dirty work on the boards, limiting Molina's second-chance opportunities after halftime. The bench contributed meaningful minutes as well, holding the lead steady during a crucial stretch of the second quarter.

For Molina, the power forward led all scorers on the night with 19 points and nine rebounds in a battling performance, and the point guard added 15 points and six assists. Ultimately, though, the hosts lacked a third reliable scoring option, and that imbalance proved costly against a deeper opponent.

What the result means

For Lliria, the victory is a statement road result in the Copa del Rey de Baloncesto and a confidence boost heading into the next round of fixtures. Winning away in cup competition — where one bad quarter can end a season — is exactly the kind of performance coaches want to see from their rotation players.

Molina Basket leave the game with a familiar lesson: they competed for 40 minutes but were undone by a cold shooting night and a decisive third-quarter lapse. The rebounding numbers and the defensive effort give them something to build on, and a rematch later in the calendar would be well worth watching.