Saturday’s duel seems like a day marked in red on the Unicaja Mijas calendar to continue putting pressure on the first two classified teams in the LF Challenge. The direct confrontation between the Galicians and the Balearic Islands opens a window of opportunity that Javi Pérez de los Reyes’ team must take advantage of by beating La Cordá de Paterna NB (5:30 p.m., ⇒Canal FEB).
Paterna NB’s Cordá comes to the match immersed in a complicated dynamic, after having fallen in two of the last three games played. The victory achieved on January 10 on the CB Santfeliuenc track is the most recent victory for the team led by Jagoba Pérez. The overall balance of the season is five wins and eleven losses, which places the Valencians in thirteenth position in the table, just two games away from the playoff positions.
The Valencians’ last match ended with a defeat in La Rioja against Bosonit Unibasket by 65-56. Lorena Segura was the top scorer for La Cordá de Paterna NB with 12 points, although Aminata Traoré stood out especially, who had 7 points and 12 rebounds. The meeting also served for the debut of Nerea Lagowski, recently arrived in the Valencia Basket discipline and loaned to Paterna, a common operation given the close relationship between both clubs.
Unicaja Mijas’ rival has changed significantly since the first round match played on October 4 at the Martín Urbano. In addition to the incorporation of Lagowski, Jagoba Pérez has recovered important players who arrived in Paterna in the summer, such as Irene Broncano and Anna Prim. Broncano has had outstanding performances, such as the 13 points scored against Domusa Teknik ISB. For his part, Prim has only been able to play the last five games and still suffers from a lack of rhythm, although his progress is evident, as reflected by the 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists he scored against Bosonit Unibasket.
In the first round duel, Unicaja Mijas won with authority over La Cordá de Paterna NB by 93-77, only losing the third quarter. In that clash, the Malaga team were especially successful from the perimeter, with 12/23 in triples. María Roters and Elena Moreno were the top scorers with 16 points, while Tayra Eke led the rating with 20 credits.
Historical balance, the ‘kryptonite’ of Unicaja Mijas
Until the start of this 2025/26 season, La Cordá de Paterna NB had won all the matches against Unicaja Mijas, except the first, played in October 2021. Since then, the Malaga team had five consecutive defeats against the Valencian team until breaking the streak with the victory achieved in Los Guindos on the second day of the LF Challenge of this season.
In the 2024/25 season, the Valencians became strong in Paterna with a 68-54 victory and also attacked the Martín Urbano in a very tight 68-71. A year earlier, both matches once again fell on the side of La Cordá de Paterna NB: first by 66-55 after a 17-point comeback, and later by 67-74 on Malaga soil. In the 2020/21 campaign, already in the then LF 2, the balance was one victory for each team: Unicaja Mijas won in Paterna 50-78, while the Valencians hit back in Malaga with a resounding 53-79.
Camille Zimmerman: “We must do four full quarters in Paterna”
Unicaja Mijas power forward Camille Zimmerman stressed the need to take a step forward in the team’s consistency ahead of Saturday’s match. The player pointed out that the main objective is to “have a consistent match”, remembering that in the last match the team was able to have two good quarters, but was unable to maintain that level throughout the match. In that sense, he insisted on the importance of focusing on one’s own work and “having energy during the four quarters.”
Zimmerman also valued the experience in the last game played on a big stage like the Martín Carpena very positively, especially highlighting the role of the fans. The interior stressed that the atmosphere was “incredible” and that the support of the Unicaja Mijas fans was noticeable throughout the match, recognizing that this context brought a special energy to the team.
The player also explained that the team continues to adjust both offensive and defensive aspects with the aim of continuing to grow collectively. Zimmerman stressed that the rival deserves the maximum respect and recalled the last match, in which Unicaja Mijas surpassed the 90-point barrier, although he clarified that in that match the team was not at the desired level in defense, which is why he considered it key to complete “an entire well-worked match, during the four quarters.”
Finally, Zimmerman assured that his focus is fully on the next match, without paying too much attention to other matches of the day. The power forward explained that she prefers to “stay in the present” and focus on doing her job well, a mentality that she considers essential for the team’s performance.
