By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Unicaja is the team to beat in the Basketball Champions League and after 32 minutes of action, Filou Oostende seemed capable of doing the unthinkable.
However, the champs got the 92-85 win after playing with fire and with Dylan Osetkowski having a big night with 24 points, as Unicaja Malaga got the 1-0 start in Group B.
Oostende was leading 70-64 at the end of the third and 73-68 at the start of the fourth period. Belgium could have been the Waterloo of Unicaja, but then the champs flipped the switch.
A 15-0 run created a 10-point lead for the Spanish side (83-73) which avoided the upset.
Noah Meeusen with 18 points was the top scorer of the hosts.
“It was very important to start with a win”
Head coach of the defending BCL champions, Ibon Navarro, emphasized the importance of starting the new campaign on the right foot.
“We started well. We were a little bit scared in the first minutes, but we soon got into rhythm. In the second quarter, they started playing more aggressively, and in the third quarter, we lost concentration. Some problems in defensive transition opened up one-on-one opportunities for them. Our defense was much more solid in the last quarter. Despite them being aggressive on the offensive rebounds, we took a very good advantage and secured the victory. It was very important to start with a win, and congrats to Filou Oostende for playing a really good match,” Navarro said.
Game press conference
Photo credit: Basketball Champions League