Chris Duarte and Unicaja Málaga fall to Río Breogán
Dominican player Chris Duarte scored 11 points, but Unicaja Málaga suffered a 98-82 defeat against Río Breogán. This result delays the Andalusian team’s qualification for the Copa del Rey, which will be held in Valencia in February. The Galician team based its victory on a solid collective performance, with Mihajlo Andric standing out, with 22 points and six three-pointers, and Danko Brankovic, who achieved a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Breogán dominated the match from the second quarter, thanks to an intense defense and a balanced attack. Despite the defeat, Unicaja maintains an 8-11 record, placing seventh in the Liga Endesa. They need one or two more victories to secure their place in the cup tournament.Match Development
The team led by Ibon Navarro started with great effectiveness from the perimeter, finishing the first quarter with five three-pointers and an 83% success rate in long-distance shots. Driven by Olek Balcerowski and Killian Tillie, Unicaja took the first leads of the match.
However, Breogán reacted with Dominik Mavra’s direction, Bakary Dibba’s work in the paint, and an increase in defensive intensity. An 11-2 run turned the scoreboard around, forcing Navarro to call a timeout. Although Unicaja tried to respond with two consecutive three-pointers from Alberto Díaz, Breogán continued to take advantage of offensive rebounds and fast transitions, going into halftime with a 50-43 lead. At the start of the third quarter, Breogán once again imposed their rhythm. Arturs Kurucs scored eight of his team’s first ten points in the period, extending the lead to 20 points, with a dominant Andric. Unicaja tried to get closer with the effort of Augustine Rubit and the outside success, but the misses in open shots prevented a greater comeback. After a new attempt to react, Breogán sentenced the match with three consecutive triples from Andric and Mavra, after a technical foul sanctioned to coach Navarro, leaving the score 85-69 with five minutes remaining, with no final response from the visiting team.
