Alberto Fuentes
Málaga, December 13 (EFE).- Unicaja, with a performance from the Dominican Chris Duarte, author of 23 points, stopped a competitive San Pablo Burgos (99-91) and won a difficult game at the Martín Carpena to achieve its fourth victory in the Endesa League, with the debut of Porfirio Fisac on the bench of Burgos and the reinforcements of the Cajistas Augustine Rubit and Chase Audige.
After returning to the everyday life of league competition last week with a narrow victory in Lleida and securing top of the group with a ticket to the second round of the FIBA Champions League, the team from Málaga knew how to suffer and came back in the last minutes against a great Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos, which returned home behind the windows of FIBA.
Ibon Navarro’s team started on the wrong foot and saw San Pablo Burgos pull away by eight points, building well from the rebound, achieving good external success and performing with an intensity that matched the demands of a difficult place to conquer like the Malaga pavilion.
Unicaja responded and shortly after the start of the second quarter they were already in the lead (22-21) on a play with a masterful assist from striker Chris Duarte, who was very well-coordinated on both sides of the field. The Dominican had made a block on the same play and had made two three-pointers in two attempts minutes earlier.
But Porfirio Fisac ’s team remained strong, making their debut on the bench and seeing a good reaction from their players on the pitch, with varied shots and many successes against the home team’s good defense.
Ibon Navarro had to call a timeout with 35-43 in favor of the people of Burgos, which served to make adjustments and immediately respond to the rhythm of the American with Montenegrin passport, Kendrick Perry.
So Unicaja reduced its deficit at halftime (41-43), already with the debuts of its two new signings, the American Rubit and the Jamaican Audige, at the Martín Carpena.
Burgos’ fine attack was bolstered by points from Jhivvan Jackson (25) and Ethan Happ (14), but the figure of setter Duarte, who finished with 27 rating credits, remained unstoppable. Nevertheless, Unicaja needed to be more defensively consistent, an area in which there were also gaps in the third act (52-57, d. 25).
The Fisac team won by three points (68-71), but Unicaja’s effervescent moment came with captain Alberto Díaz as the spiritual leader. A series of five consecutive points turned the result around and the baton passed to the team from Málaga.
Since the game had few points, was a draw and only had to be decided by details, the Andalusian team showed a better performance and won the victory with an extra dose of intensity and a decisive three-pointer from Bosnian Emir Sulejmanovic a minute before the end.
It is the seventh win in ten days for Unicaja, who remain in the top six for another week and continue to improve with the short-term aim of playing in the 2026 Copa del Rey, while Burgos remains at the bottom despite their great performance in Malaga.
– Technical data sheet:
99 – Unicaja (17+24+27+31): Perry (16), Kalinoski (5), Barreiro (5), Tillie (3), Balcerowski (1) -starting quintet-, Díaz (7), Webb III (15), Sulejmanovic (11), Duarte (23), Djedovic (7), Audige (0) and Rubit (6).
91 – San Pablo Burgos (21+22+28+20): Gudmundsson (5), Jackson (25), Meindl (5), Happ (14), Fischer (11) – starting quintet –, Samuels (8), Almazán (0), Corbalán (8), Díez (13) and De Sousa (2).
Referees: Arnau Padrós, Joaquín García and Guillermo Ríos.
Incidents: Match corresponding to matchday 10 of the Endesa League, played at the José María Martín Carpena Sports Palace in front of 8,277 spectators. EFE
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