Unicaja Mijas Fights Until the End on the Road Against the League Leader (73-64)

The team coached by Javi Pérez de los Reyes put in a very solid performance during their visit to the Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo. Despite the Seville team’s brilliant start, Unicaja Mijas never lost heart. Even when the home team built a 16-point lead, the team from Los Guindos managed to rally and stay in the game heading into the final quarter. Ultimately, several decisive three-pointers by Sevilla Cajasol Gardenstore Women’s Basketball at key moments prevented the Malaga team from completing the comeback.

 

It took the Seville team nearly five minutes to miss their first shot. Faced with such high shooting accuracy, Unicaja Mijas opted to keep up the scoring pace and rely on their defense to avoid falling behind. Although the Seville team was very effective, the visitors managed to stay close on the scoreboard (13-9). The Malaga team managed to cut the deficit to a single point, but a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Anna Prim made it 22-18 at the end of the first quarter.

 

 

Javi Pérez de los Reyes’s team came out strong in the second quarter and even managed to tie the game (24-24). However, Marita Davydova capitalized on her dominance near the basket to lead a run that restored the home team’s lead (30-24). The timeout called by the Unicaja coach failed to stem Seville’s momentum, and Jaime Sañudo’s team extended their lead to 37-27. Alejandra Zúñiga tried to cut into the deficit from the perimeter, but the home team responded effectively to head into halftime with a twelve-point lead (43-31).

 Turnovers and several offensive miscues prevented Unicaja Mijas from capitalizing on their opponent’s slump after halftime. Sofía Galerón stepped up and scored five consecutive points to keep her team in the game (50-38). The Seville team once again opened up a 16-point lead, though the visitors rallied in the final stretch of the third quarter to cut the deficit and close out the period with a promising 59-51 score.

 

The final quarter followed a similar pattern to the previous one. Unicaja Mijas struggled to find the basket in the opening minutes but held strong on defense. With five minutes remaining, Málaga scored its first basket of the quarter, and from there, the Los Guindos team strung together several successful offensive plays which, combined with their defensive effort, allowed them to cut the deficit to under ten points (67-60).

 

Just as the visitors were playing their best, another three-pointer by Aina Martín halted their momentum. Shortly afterward, another three-pointer made at the very end of the possession dealt a significant blow to Unicaja’s hopes. Unicaja Mijas continued to fight until the end but could not avoid a 73-64 loss at San Pablo.