ACB – semi-final – working day 4
Unicaja returned the semi-final to the starting point and Real Madrid is sitting in the waiting room, looking at Mbappé on his cell phone, which is why he belongs to the house. The Malaga team, after being blocked on their field, reset in Murcia against UCAM to win again in the hot Palacio de los Deportes, which according to official data always hosts 7,500 people, not one more and not one less, all of them with the passion of great moments. 500 were from Malaga, by the way.
As happened in the first two games of the series, but on the other side, Ibon Navarro, although he modified the starting five, did not change his plans after doing so well on his first visit. Sito Alonso hoped not to repeat a start like Saturday’s, but he received a cup and a half. The Madrid coach had to stop the game after a triple by Taylor made the score 5-15. Always in tow, the UCAM had to row to avoid drowning so soon. Although Kurucs appeared in his best version to defend the fort, Unicaja scored easily, rebounded more and ran when Murcia’s mistakes led to it.
UCAM MURCIA 79 UNICAJA 88
UCAM Murcia: Sant-Roos (12), Ennis (5), Radebaugh (2), Sleva (14), Morin (10) –starting team– Kurucs (26), Hakanson (2), Diagné (0), Caupain (8),
Unicaja Malaga: Perry (13), Taylor (14), Kalinoski (7), Osetkowski (22), Kravish (2) –starting team– Ejim (4), Díaz (0), Carter (17), Djedovic (5), Sima ( 4), Barreiro (0), Thomas (0).
Partials: 18-31, 25-24, 20-17 and 16-21.
Referees: Pérez Pérez, Caballero and Padrós. Radebough removed.
Murcia Sports Palace. 7,500 spectators.
The local team did not give up in its efforts to get closer on the scoreboard and from time to time it got closer, although always doing the rubber like a willful but faint climber on a mountain stage. He went from 18-31 to 27-32 after another timeout from Sito, with a triple from Kurucs and a basket from Sleva, but Unicaja reacted thanks to the success of an extraordinary Osetkowski in the second quarter. The 13-point difference between the first team decreased slightly at half-time, because the Murcian fury was not constant, but appeared at times.
UCAM wanted to make amends in the second part by optimizing resources and gave another small growth spurt. Sleva, Kurucs and Morin believed in the comeback, and in the last quarter, when the beans of each game are played, they even dreamed of waking the Madrid men, sitting in the waiting room, from their lethargy. They pressed in the last minutes, managed to get closer to three points (71-74), and to 1.26, in another home brand rush, they again got within four (77-81), but it did not give them 26 points of Kurucs, because in Unicaja Osetkowski (22) and Carter (17) responded, to remain calm in the final moments and take an ACB semifinal to the fifth game after nine seasons. It will be decided in Carpena, but in Murcia they warn: they have come this far without winning at home in the entire playoffs.
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