FIATC Girona needed ten minutes to wake up, and when it did, Mac McClung was the man to do it. The American guard poured in 13 of his 18 points in the second quarter to lead a 36-20 period that turned a worrying 12-14 deficit into a comfortable 48-34 halftime lead, as Girona beat Patrioti Levice 90-66 at Pavelló de Fontajau in the FIBA Europe Cup, diaridegirona.cat reported.

The win ended a two-game losing streak and consolidated Girona’s leadership of its group in its European debut, with the Catalan side improving to 4-1 in five matchdays and 6-0 at home across all competitions. McClung, named FIBA Europe Cup MVP for October, finished as the game’s top scorer despite scoring zero points in the second half.

A Slow Start That Put Girona Behind 4-9

The opening was rough by any measure. Girona missed four straight three-pointers, took seven minutes to score more than four points, and committed seven turnovers in that stretch, diaridegirona.cat reported. Levice, which needed nearly four minutes to open its scoring account, capitalized on the giveaways to go from 4-0 up to 4-9 on a 0-9 run, forcing coach Moncho Fernández to call a timeout.

Three-pointers from Jassel Pérez and McClung kept the damage limited, but the 12-14 first-quarter score — with eight Girona turnovers — told the story of a disorganized home side. am850.com noted that Girona committed five turnovers in the first five minutes alone.

McClung Flips the Game in the Second Quarter

The transformation came all at once. Stanley Whittaker tied the game at 14, David N’Guessan put Girona ahead, and a Whittaker three capped a 7-0 run in just over a minute to make it 19-14, diaridegirona.cat reported. Martinas Geben finished an alley-oop and McClung stole a ball for a layup. Suddenly Fontajau was watching a different team.

Levice scratched back with Gabe Dorsey, Jalen Brooks and Hicks to make it 31-28, but Girona answered with back-to-back threes from Sergi Martínez and McClung. The American ended the first half 4-of-5 from deep and was greeted with “MVP” chants from the stands, diaridegirona.cat reported. His three consecutive triples pushed the lead to 15 points at 46-31 before Girona closed the half up 48-34.

The numbers explain the swing: Girona went from 12 points and eight turnovers in the first quarter to 36 points and three turnovers in the second, dominated the offensive glass 21-10, and shot better than 80% on two-point attempts in the half, am850.com and elperiodico.com reported.

Geben and N’Guessan Own the Paint as the Rout Builds

Girona didn’t need to press the accelerator after halftime. Geben opened the third quarter with a three to make it 51-34, N’Guessan kept scoring inside, and Whittaker stretched it to 60-37. Levice found no answers, and the lead reached 25 points at 68-43 on another Sergi Martínez three, diaridegirona.cat reported.

The game was effectively over at the end of the third period, 70-50. Even 19-year-old Enric Sanmartín of the under-22 team got minutes, scoring the 70-45 basket. McClung added no points in the second half, but diaridegirona.cat noted his work had already changed the night. The final quarter was a formality for spreading minutes — no Girona player exceeded 25 minutes — and the hosts closed out a 24-point win, with youngsters Sanmartín (5 points) and Sergi Juher on the floor.

Geben finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds and N’Guessan with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, am850.com reported. For Levice, Brooks led with 17 points, followed by Chavez (11), Hicks (10) and Dorsey (10), according to the technical sheet carried by am850.com and elperiodico.com.

Jassel Pérez’s Ankle Injury Clouds the Win

The one worrying note came from Jassel Pérez. He sprained his left ankle in the first quarter, returned to play in the second, but spent the entire second half on the bench with ice on the area, diaridegirona.cat reported. Doctors have not yet determined the full extent of Surne Bilbao’s injury, as she travels to Fontajau for further evaluation on Saturday. Aljaz Kunc had already been left out of the squad with lower-back pain.

Why the Win Matters: Group Lead and a Perfect Home Record

The victory mattered beyond the scoreboard. Girona had lost 107-78 at Casademont Zaragoza on Sunday and 81-79 at home to Hungarian side NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz earlier in the week, am850.com and elperiodico.com reported. Beating Levice stopped that slide and preserved Fontajau’s unbeaten record in both the ACB and Europe. The 2,189 fans in attendance — on a night that coincided with a Champions League match involving FC Barcelona — saw Girona close the first round of the group stage with four wins in five matchdays, per elperiodico.com.

Girona Hosts Surne Bilbao on Saturday

Girona’s next test comes at home again: Surne Bilbao visits Pavelló de Fontajau on Saturday, diaridegirona.cat reported. With Pérez’s availability uncertain and Kunc sidelined, McClung’s 18-point first half provided the wake-up call that turned the game around.