Unicaja Malaga downs Bilbao Basket in Spanish Liga Endesa
Unicaja Malaga prevailed over Bilbao Basket 86-74 in a duel between two Top 4 teams in Round 17 of the Spanish Liga Endesa regular season and have been crowned the Winter Champions. With their impressive 14-3 record, Unicaja Malaga has the solo lead in the league standings and have secured a spot in the Copa del Rey or “King’s Cup of Basketball.” The loss for Bilbao unfortunately drops them to a 12-5 record, but they narrowly edge out FC Regal Barcelona (also 12-5) of the Top 4 thanks to tiebreakers. Wins by Real Madrid and FIATC Joventut Badalona give them 13-4 slates and allow them to round out the foursome, landing them in second and third place respectively.
Currently, Valencia Basket, Gran Canaria 2014, and CAI Zaragoza all 10-7 records and complete the league’s current Top 8 teams for Winter. While the Top 5 teams have established a comfortable buffer, but the competitive nature of Spain’s premier league leaves them with just a little security in their current standings.
The key game of the round had the league leaders trailing at the end of the first quarter by three points, 19-22. The hosts answered in the second frame as their offense found its flow and Unicaja took advantage of Bilbao’s inadequate defensive focus. Carlos Suarez and Ryan Toolson took turns putting up points on the board for Malaga. They managed to expand on their team’s lead in the third period. Bilbao did its best to come back in the fourth and final frame, but Unicaja was able to weather the storm and held on for the win.
They key to Unicaja’s success in this game was smart and aggressive basketball. They regularly moved the ball and drove to the basket. Bilbao ended up fouling the green shirts, sending them to the line, but Malaga took advantage of their free-throw opportunities and went 16-for-16. To their credit, Liga Endesa’s leaders were also solid on the defensive end. The stole the ball from Bilbao nine times during the game and forced 19 turnovers.
Bilbao had their shining moments in this game, getting some solid performances from Alex Mumbru and Marko Todorovic. Mumbru was their most sucessful player from long range. He knocked down 5-of-9 three-point shots en route to a game-high 23 points. Todorovic was also effective with his double-double, notching 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Ryan Toolson led Unicaja Malaga with 18 points. Carlos Suarez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas added 16 and 15 points respectively. Special mention has to go out to Jayson Granger who was an important catalyst for the team’s offense with his 11 assists.