Almansa shines in Spanish senior debut

The 19-year-old scored 10 points to go with one rebound in his Spanish debut which resulted in a thrilling 76-72 double-overtime victory Slovakia in Bratislava.

The two teams square off again in a second FIBA EuroBasket qualifier match in the Spanish city of Ourense on Tuesday.

Almansa's first senior points came in the form of an and-one midway through the second term, fouled close to the basket, and continued to make important contributions in the see-sawing contest.

AND-ONE! 🗣️

Izan Almansa with the strong finish for his first Senior NT bucket. #EuroBasket x @BaloncestoESP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/RD0Vx7uOJw

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) November 22, 2024

Spain kept their title defence hopes alive with the hard-fought win after back-to-back losses to start the tournament.

It comes after fellow Wildcats young gun Ben Henshall impressed in the Boomers' 101-48 thrashing of Thailand with 12 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals.