The veteran French guard finished with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals in a win at Joventut
Andrew Albicy is still the heartbeat of Gran Canaria
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Down 12 points (60-48) with 7:21 to go in the fourth quarter, Dreamland Gran Canaria looked like it was going to suffer its second loss of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season. On the road at Joventut Badalona, a team that knew Jaka Lakovic’s side inside out, Gran Canaria was not playing its best basketball and looked lost.
Fortunately for the 2023 EuroCup champion, it has a player like Andrew Albicy in its ranks. The veteran guard showed his trademark hustle and energy when the chips were down, and it ended up having an inspiring impact on his teammates. His two-pointer cut the gap to 10 points (60-50), then he made 3 free throws before providing an assist for Mike Tobey, who cut the gap to 61-57.
Albicy dished another two assists in the fourth, both to Caleb Homesley, who first made it 65-62 and then 67-65 with a couple of three-pointers. Homesley’s mid-range basket with seven seconds to go forced overtime, with the score 67-67. Gran Canaria would go on to win 76-78 on a three-pointer by Nico Brussino with 8.1 seconds to go.
While Albicy did not play in overtime, he provided the spark for his teammates and kept Gran Canaria alive at a point when Joventut was looking to put the visitors away. The Frenchman, ranked second all-time in EuroCup assists and steals, sixth in PIR and 10th in appearances, was particularly happy with the energy his teammates showed in the fourth period.
“We know it’s difficult to win in Badalona,” he told EuroLeague TV afterward. “We just played our game in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter – we put more energy. We defended good, we had good baskets, and in overtime we made big shots. Congrats to everybody, but I think we can be better to secure the win [earlier].
“When the game is not finished, we still believe. It’s what we do, it’s why we came back. It shows the character of the team, so I’m very happy about that. But I think we can be better in a lot of spots. We are still building something and the season is long, so it’s good.”
Gran Canaria now has the best record in Group A with a 5-1 mark, with Coach Lakovic’s squad now on a two-game winning streak. Next up for the Spanish side, red-hot Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius – now on a three-game run of their own – will visit the Canary Islands and hope to make a statement. But if Albicy has anything to do with it, Gran Canaria will make things incredibly difficult for Alessandro Magro’s men.