U18 Unicaja Malaga tipped off its Euroleague Basketball ADIDIAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Qualifying Tournament – Torneo Citta di Roma with a comfortable 46-76 win over U18 Umana Reyer Venice on Sunday. Unicaja’s 16-year-old center Ablaye Sow scored 21 points and grabbed 18 rebounds as the Spanish club won the first game in Group B. Unicaja, which lost in the ANGT Rome final last season, got 13 points from Ivan Raut and also received 10 points from both Franco Acosta and Illia Niemtsu. Unicaja won despite 31 turnovers as it out-rebounded Venice 53-28. Venice, which scored just six points in the third quarter and turned the ball over 26 times, was paced by Federico Miaschi scoring 15 points while Michele Antelli had 11 points.

Raut opened the scoring and Sow made it 0-4 before Antelli scored Venice’s first points. Raut followed with a three-point play and scores from Alejandro Romero and Ignacio Trujillo saw Unicaja lead 4-11. Venice held Unicaja scoreless for about three minutes and pulled to within 10-11 with an Antelli transition layup and put-back and two Miaschi free throws. Luis Garcia stopped the drought and two Sow free throws were followed by two scores from Acosta as Unicaja was up 12-19 after 10 minutes. Sow kept the Spanish offense running to start the second quarter and Niemtsu’s three-point play pushed the margin into double digits at 12-24. Acosta added a free throw and Sow scored again as the advantage grew to 12-27. Riccardo Visconti finally got Venice on the scoring board in the second quarter after five minutes without a point. Miaschi trimmed the gap to 11 points but Sow followed with back-to-back put-backs and Garcia nailed a three-pointer just before intermission as Unicaja was already en route to the win with an 18-34 lead.

Raut knocked down two three-pointers as Unicaja opened the second half with a 0-10 run for an 18-44 advantage. Alessandro Simioni scored Venice’s first points of the half and Visconti made it 22-44. Sow answered with the next four points to re-establish the 26-point lead. Miaschi came back with five straight points and scored another basket to cut the deficit to 31-49. But it was still 33-51 after 30 minutes. Raut and Sow continued their good games with baskets to start the fourth quarter and push the cushion to 33-55. Groppi scored Venice’s first points of the quarter but Alejandro Romero followed with a three-point play for Unicaja. Venice could not come up with defensive stops as Sow converted a three-point play and Acosta added two more scores and a free throw as the gap was 41-70 with three minutes left. Antelli managed a three-pointer but the game had already been decided.