By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Unicaja Malaga remained unscratched in its debut Basketball Champions League campaign with an 83-54 rout of JDA Dijon in the Monday “Game of the Week” of the fifth week of the Regular Season.
Dario Brizuela matched his season-high 16 points. His 4/5 threes were the largest boost to the Spanish side’s 15/26 overall opposite a short bench. Only ten players were available for Nenad Markovic at Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena. Joshiko Saibou and Chase Simon remained sidelined.
French Axel Bouteille added 15 points and former UNC Greensboro guard, Francis Alonso, threw in 13 more points for Malaga. Jaime Fernandez paired his ten points with six assists.
The visitors stayed close through the first quarter with Sek Henry firing in nine of his 16 points. However, being limited to a couple of seven-point team efforts in the second and third quarter generated a massive lead for Malaga.
After falling to 3-5 in Spain’s ACB, the team coached by Fotis Katsikaris jumped to 3-0 retaining the lead in Group C. The Andalusian side became the third Spanish team to introduce itself to the BCL with three wins in a row following Tenerife in 2016 and Fuenlabrada in 2018.
On the opposite end, the Round 3 loss shaped a 1-2 W-L tally for the visitors, also 3-3 in France’s Betclic Elite LNB Pro A.
The two sides will meet each other again in the reverse fixture of Round 4, scheduled to be held on 16 November.
Postgame press conference:
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League