By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
As Pallacanestro Reggiana approached their first-ever Quarter-Finals in the Basketball Champions League, there couldn’t have been a worse opponent than Unicaja, probably.
Without Kenneth Faried, forced to miss Game 1 as he had to fly to the United States to sadly attend his mother’s funeral, the Italians couldn’t be successful in Malaga, as they suffered a heavy 105-68 defeat.
Moving back to Italy, they tried their best but simply couldn’t stop the reigning champions: for the third consecutive season, Unicaja will contend for the title in the Basketball Champions League Final Four. Ibon Navarro’s team won 82-72 at the end of an every-possession battle.
It was the usual collective effort for Unicaja, but Dylan Osetkowski stood out with 11 points and 5 rebounds; Kendrick Perry had a clutch night too, and finished with 10 points and 4 assists.
Facing his former side, with whom he won the EuroCup in the past, Jamar Smith found extra motivation to finish with 14 points. Kenneth Faried (16 points and 7 rebounds) returned to action in style.
Following this victory, Unicaja has now joined Galatasaray as the teams classified for the 2024-25 BCL Final Four, set to be played in Paris or Athens, depending on the winners of the AEK-Nanterre series.
Post-game press conference:
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League