By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Waiting for the second straight-away trip to France to face SIG Strasbourg, Unicaja Malaga had a rollercoaster game in Cholet, getting the 86-74 victory over the red-and-white side.
Confirming himself as a great asset for Ibon Navarro’s team, David Kravish led Unicaja in scoring with 17 points on 7/14 from the field, while Melvin Ejim had a good all-around night of 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Nihad Dedovic had 11 points and 4 rebounds, while Will Thomas added 8 points and 6 boards.
Tyson Carter, who last week became the first player since J’Covan Brown to come off the bench and post more than 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a single Basketball Champions League game (21 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists), tonight contributed with 11 points and 6 assists to contribute for the win.
Displaying another stellar offensive performance in his good-momentum January, Craig Randall II ended with a losing effort of 20 points and 5 rebounds. Neal Sako added a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds at the glass for the French side.
Last year’s Final Four hosts reached an 11-point lead (37-26) already in the second quarter, but Laurent Vila’s team managed to keep the game balanced at halftime. In the second half, Cholet put its head up front, but Unicaja ended the game with a 20-5 run to escape from France with the win.
Following this loss, Cholet Basket has now interrupted its longest winning streak in the Basketball Champions League to three games. During those three encounters – two in the Play-Ins against Dinamo Sassari, and one against SIG Strasbourg -, they scored more than 90 points in each of the challenges.
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League