Higgs, Munnings, Cleare and their teams nab wins in Europe

A number of Bahamian professional basketball players in Europe head into the Christmas break on a winning note after helping their respective teams to victories on Tuesday night in Portugal and Spain.

Travis Munnings and newcomer Shaquille Cleare helped Uniao Desportiva (UD) Oliveirense Basquetebol to a 90-79 victory over Imortal Luzigas at the Albufeira Sports Arena in Albufeira, Portugal. Munnings finished with 14 points and six rebounds while Cleare finished with four points and three boards.

The win moves Oliveirense to a 7-4 win/loss record on the season, and they sit in sixth position in the standings in the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for them. Their opponent came into the game on a seven-game winning streak, and after this game, they fell to 8-2 on the season, sitting in third place in the standings.

Over at Bembibre Arena in Bembibre, Leon, Spain, it was first-year guard Lashann Higgs who powered her team, Embutidos Pajariel Bembibre PDM, to a 62-49 victory over Lointtex Gernika Bizkaia in the Liga Femenina Endesa (Liga Dia) – the highest women’s basketball division in Spain. Higgs led all scorers with 15 points and added seven rebounds.

Higgs and her team are now 3-13 on the season and sit in the 15th position. It was a great confidence booster for them as they took down a 10-7 team, which sits in fifth position.

Munnings finished 5-for-13 from the field, shooting 38.9 percent clip. He was 2-for-6 from deep and 2-for-4 from the charity stripe. The Grand Bahamian also had two assists.

Cleare, who played in his second game with Oliveirense, finished 2-for-5 from the field, shooting 40 percent. He missed his only foul shot on the night. The big man was able to come away with one assist.

Oliveirense finished the game with a 40-28 rebounding advantage. Offensively, they were impressive, finishing with 22 assists – Jose Barbosa finished with 13 of those assists. They had balanced scoring as four players finished in double figures.

Munnings and his team looked poised at the start of the game as they went up 31-24 at the end of the first quarter. Oliveirense matched the intensity of the home team and surpassed it as they tried to pull away. At the end of the third quarter, it was 73-60 in favor of Oliveirense. All they had to do was protect the lead in fourth quarter, and they did that, allowing only 19 points.

The Bahamian duo will return to action for Oliveirense on January 3, 2021, when they play a home game against Esgueira/Oli at the Pavilhão Dr. Salvador Machado in Oliveirense, Portugal. That game is set to start at 6 p.m., Portugal time, five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST) here in The Bahamas.

Higgs played some stiff defense in their game against Gernika as she picked up three steals. The guard was able to dish out four assists in 29 minutes of play.

It was one of Bembibre’s best defensive outings all season as they held their opponents to just 29 percent shooting from the field. However, Bembibre had a difficult time on the boards as they were outrebounded 38-28 and 14-3 on the offensive glass. A good shooting night helped the hosts stay in the game.

It was a solid first half for Higgs and her team as they were able to outscore Gernika, 31-18. They came out in the second half and kept playing strong offense, taking a comfortable 48-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Higgs and her team went on a 7-0 scoring run.

Bembibre held on for the victory as they got their third victory of the season.

They can go on their first winning streak of the season when they go to play Spar Gran Canaria at La Paterna in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain. Tip-off is on Sunday December 27, at 8 p.m., Spain time, five hours ahead of EST here in The Bahamas. Higgs had 22 points against Canaria in a 79-69 victory back on October 3.

The post Higgs, Munnings, Cleare and their teams nab wins in Europe appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

source https://thenassauguardian.com/higgs-munnings-cleare-and-their-teams-nab-wins-in-europe/