BADALONA (Spain) - Unicaja are handing over their crown in Badalona on Saturday. Follow along as the Third-Place Game and the Final take place at the Season X Final Four.
Third-Place Game
First quarter
Playing the Third-Place Game is always more challenging mentally than physically. However, physical issues have kept Marcelinho Huertas out of La Laguna Tenerife's lineup in this one, resting from a minor (pulled muscle) injury in the Semi-Finals, while Rokas Giedraitis' season is, sadly, over.
Wesley van Beck and Thomas Scrubb are not only in the lineup, both are starters, alongside Bruno Fitipaldo, Tim Abromaitis and Giorgi Shermadini.
Kendrick Perry, Chase Audige, Jonathan Barreiro, Killian Tillie and David Kravish start the encounter for coach Ibon Navarro.
Speaking of coaches - Ibon Navarro (2 gold medals, 1 bronze) and Txus Vidorreta (2 gold medals, 2 silver, 1 bronze) are the two most titled coaches in BCL history.
Compared to their Semi-Finals, both teams finally found shooting strokes. Unicaja went 7-of-14 from the field, while Tenerife made 4-of-10 from deep, including Patty Mills' 2-of-2.
With Alberto Diaz providing the usual energy off the bench, Unicaja claimed a 24-22 lead after one.
The team leading at the end of the 1st quarter have won seven of the previous nine bronze medal games in the BCL.
Second Quarter
With both teams fighting to win the game, by the mid point of the second stanza, we have already seen 10 lead changes and the game was tied six times.
Killian Tillie's three-pointer was the one that made it six ties, giving Tillie 10 points on the day - first man in double digits on both sides. Patty Mills quickly replied with a pair of threes of his own, rising to 14 points in a matter of seconds.
He already has four made three-pointers, after not making more than two in any of his five previous BCL appearances.
Tenerife opened up a 40-34 gap with 2:43 left in the half, but Unicaja refused to give up. End of Q2, Tenerife up 45-41, Mills 14, Shermadini 10 - this is his 80th double‑figure scoring game in the BCL, the most by any player in the competition’s history.
The team leading at halftime has won eight of the previous nine bronze medal games in BCL history, with the only exception being AEK's last season comeback against La Laguna Tenerife.
Four points is the smallest halftime margin ever recorded in a BCL Third‑Place Game.