By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
One minute into the fourth quarter things looked pretty bad for Unicaja Malaga. Valencia was ahead 56 – 43 possessing full momentum in the match with a raving crowd backing them. Furthermore, Alen Omic had just been ejected. Joan Plaza’s options ran short.
However with a smallball squad allowing for some extra fast and physical defense the Andalusians began coming back strong. They proceeded to complete a 0 – 16 run thanks to which defeated their opponents 58 – 63, making the 2 – 1 in the best-of-three Finals series. They now celebrate not only the first EuroCup title in the franchise’s history and their second continental cup ever but also their first trophy after 12 years.
What is more, Malaga has now gained entrance to next season’s EuroLeague, returning to the top-tier European competition after 2015/2016.
22-year-old Alberto Diaz won Finals MVP honors after finishing tonight’s game with a team-high 12 points, 2 steals and 2 assists and defensive input that can’t be really described by numbers. He had 7 points,4 rebounds and 5 assists in Game 2, where his team tied the series 1 – 1.
Bojan Dubljevic scored 16 points and grabbed 6 rebounds for Valencia.