By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
ATHENS – The trend of constantly lifting trophies, especially in the Basketball Champions League, was continued by Unicaja, after taking down Galatasaray, 83-67, in the championship game of the Final Four powered by Sunel.
After trailing over 2:44, immediately recovering and building a double-digit advantage in the first half set the pace for the remainder of the Final in Sunel Arena. Ten unanswered points tied at 20 in the second quarter, and Galata refused to surrender, but the ACB club never trailed again and instead restored a double-digit cushion down the stretch.
Tyson Carter missed all five attempts from beyond the arc but made 5/7 two-pointers en route to 14 points. Kendrick Perry followed with 13 points, including six in the fourth period. Tyson Perez added a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Tyler Kalinoski threw in 11 more points. In addition to sidelined Nihad Djedovic, 27-year-old big Killian Tillie was left out of Ibon Navarro’s lineup for the Final.
As BCL champions, the team based in Malaga earned European representation in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025. The six-team field will gather in Singapore. For defending champion Unicaja, it will be another opportunity for back-to-back titles, from the top-tier club continental competition of FIBA Europe to the 35th edition of the annual international tournament.
A 25th win over the last 26 team outings in the Champions League, including taking down Lenovo Tenerife in the championship contest of the Final Four 2024 in Belgrade, defended the BCL championship. In the Round of 16 of the 2024-25 continental campaign, Galata was responsible for the only loss.
Meanwhile, a five-game winning streak for the team based in Istanbul was stopped on Sunday. Tyrone Wallace and Will Cummings shared a game-high 14 points with Carter, but they were not enough. Otis Livingston II, Rob Gray, and Can Korkmaz remained on the injury list of the team coached by Yakup Sekizkok.
Final Four 2025
Semifinals (9/5)
La Laguna Tenerife – Galatasaray 80-90
AEK Betsson – Unicaja 65-71
Third-place game (11/5)
La Laguna Tenerife – AEK Betsson 73-77
Final (11/5)
Galatasaray – Unicaja 67-83
Photo Credit: FIBA