By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Back-to-back Basketball Champions League champions are back, and they immediately showed their power.
Defending BCL champions Unicaja opened the 2025/26 Regular Season with a resounding 97–66 home win over Mersin Sports Club.
Xavier Castaneda led the way with 17 points, while Kendrick Perry followed with 14. Tyler Kalinoski and Chris Duarte added 12 each, and Tyson Perez and Nihad Djedovic contributed 10 points apiece.
Unicaja had 11 players on the scoring sheet and shot an impressive 18-of-34 from beyond the arc.
On the other side, Anthony Cowan stood out with 17 points and four assists, being the only Mersin player to finish in double figures, while Ben Bentil added nine points.
Unicaja dominated from the get-go, winning the opening quarter 22–11 and extending the lead to 51–31 by halftime. It was pretty much over after 30 minutes, with the Málaga team holding a 23-point advantage, but that didn’t stop Ibon Navarro’s side from pushing until the end and finishing the game on a high note.