Unicaja overcame Brose Baskets 65-69
Unicaja Malaga used a 2-21 run to start the fourth quarter in picking up its first road victory in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague this season by beating Brose Baskets 65-69 in a crucial Group B game to improve to 3-2. Unicaja’s Joel Freeland led all scorers with 19 points while Augusto Cesar Lima collected 14 points – his first in the Euroleague this season – 8 rebounds and 3 blocks for Malaga, which had lost at Real Madrid and Olympiacos coming into the game. Rod Blakney and Saul Blanco each added 11 points. Brose dropped to 2-3 with its first loss at home despite 13 points by Brian Roberts and 11 points from Predrag Suput. Tibor Pleiss chipped in 8 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks while Kyle Hines collected 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks.
Georgios Printezis opened the scoring for the guests with a streaking layup. And Bamberg started the game with some determined inside action and on target from long range. Pleiss answered with a three-point play and John Goldsberry nailed a three-pointer, which teammate Anton Gavel matched before Casey Jacobsen’s backdoor layup in building a 11-4 lead. The visitors worked the ball into the post with Freeland hitting back-to-back baskets, including a three-point play, and later a hook in the lane as Unicaja cut the margin to 16-13. Both coaches made a number of changes during a timeout with Hines and Roberts entering for Brose and Carlos Jimenez, Lima and Blakney for Malaga. Blakney hit a jumper that was answered by a score by Suput to give Bamberg an 18-15 advantage. Blanco nailed a three-pointer from the right corner to knot the game at 18-18 before Roberts made two foul shots following an unsportsmanlike foul on Blakney for a 20-18 Bamberg lead, which was the score after 10 minutes.
Karsten Tadda came off the bench for the hosts and nailed a triple to start the second quarter to open a five-point gap and Hines’ offensive rebound and put-back had Bamberg up 25-20. Freeland though was back in the game and scored two baskets being defended by the smaller Hines and combined with a three-ball from the right corner from Uros Tripkovic and Unicaja was knotted at 25-25. Blakney and Berni Rodriguez both hit baskets as Malaga twice more evened the game – Rodriguez for 29-29. It was clear to both teams that this was a huge game as the defenses worked hard at both ends. Pleiss came up with a three-point play for a 32-29 cushion but Rodriguez would even the game yet again at 33-33. Bamberg finally broke away a bit in the final minute as Gavel and Suput both converted break away layups after Unicaja turnovers for a 37-33 Bamberg lead with 12 seconds remaining in the first half. Tripkovic would miss his corner trey attempt and the teams went into the locker rooms with Brose ahead 37-33.
Just like the first half, the second half started with a Printezis layup, which Pleiss would then answer with an alley-oop dunk for a 39-35 advantage. Bamberg continued to have no answer for Freeland, as the Great Britain international put back an offensive rebound and then laid in an inbounds pass to keep Malaga within 41-39. Pleiss failed to score with good possession down low on Lima and Blakney hit a jumper at the other end to even the game yet again at 41-41. Roberts picked up his big man with a jumper and Hines came up with an inside basket but missed the bonus free throw for a 45-41 lead. Lima put back an offensive rebound but Reyshawn Terry cleaned up an offensive rebound of his own for a 49-43 Bamberg cushion. Lima would then miss twice from close range and Gavel nailed a jumper from the right wing for the biggest lead of the game – Bamberg up 51-43, resulting in a Malaga timeout. The Spanish team twice more failed to convert on the offensive side and Bamberg led 51-43 after three quarters.
Malaga started the fourth quarter on a 0-9 run – 2 Blakney free throws, a Blanco jumper with the shot clock winding down, two Freeland foul shots and a Blakney three-point play for Unicajaa’s first lead since the opening score – 51-52. Suput finally put a stop to the Brose drought with a jumper with 6:40 remaining for a 53-52 lead. Bamberg failed to convert offensively and repeatedly turned the ball over which saw Blanco hit a jumper and Lima score 10 straight points – all on layups and alley-oops – for a 53-64 Unicaja advantage with less than four minutes to play. Jacobsen finally ended the 0-12 surge with a three-ball to bring Brose with 56-64 with 2:50 to play. Hines would throw down a dunk and Terry would hit two foul shots to bring Brose within 60-66 with less than a minute left. And Roberts nailed a three-pointer with three seconds left to pull within 65-68. But Rodriguez was fouled with 0.4 seconds and made one of two free throws.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
David Hein, Bamberg