Casademont Zaragoza defeated Unicaja Málaga 96-91 on Sunday, securing their fifth win in seven Liga Endesa matches.
Heraldo.es reported that in a tightly contested game, the home team showed greater composure and accuracy in the final moments to defeat a solid Unicaja side, which is a contender for the ‘play-off’ positions. The Casademont played in the Pabellón Príncipe Felipe.
Brussino Leads Zaragoza with 25 Points
Nico Brussino was the standout performer for Casademont, leading all scorers with 25 points and 8 rebounds. His performance, which included a game-high 36 cumulative value rating, was decisive in the team’s victory. Guillem Vives also contributed 10 assists to orchestrate the offense. Donatas Birutis contributed 21 points and 8 rebounds, shooting efficiently from the field. Gabriel Olaseni scored 2 points.
For Unicaja, Jaylen Perry was the top player with 20 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Despite his efforts, the visiting team could not overcome the deficit in the closing minutes of the match. Trae Bell-Haynes committed a foul in the final quarter. Will Perry scored 20 points.
Final Quarter Seals the Win
The outcome of the game was decided in the final quarter. With just over 20 seconds remaining, the score was tied at 96-91. A turnover by Unicaja’s Perry led to two free throws for Casademont’s Justin Jaworski, who made one of them to take a 92-91 lead.
On the ensuing possession, Unicaja committed a foul on Nico Brussino before the ball was inbounded. Brussino converted the ensuing free throw, extending the lead to 93-91. Perry then made two free throws to cut the deficit to one point with 0.22 seconds left. However, a turnover by Unicaja sealed the game, allowing Jaworski to add another free throw for the final 96-91 scoreline. Brussino scored a triple in the final quarter with 9:27 remaining. A triple by Knox tied the game at 72-69 with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter. A triple by Brussino gave Casademont a 69-66 lead with 9:27 remaining. A triple by Knox tied the game at 72-69 with 8:58 remaining. A triple by Brussino gave Casademont a 69-66 lead with 9:27 remaining.
Jaworski scored a basket to make it 92-89 with 4:55 left. Hunt scored a basket to make it 92-89 with 4:46 left. Bell-Haynes scored a basket to make it 83-87 with 3:01 left. Jaworski scored a basket to make it 83-80 with 4:55 left. Perry made a free throw to tie the game at 83-83 with 4:42 left. Olaseni scored a basket to make it 85-83 with 4:42 left.
Perry made a three-pointer to make it 85-83 with 3:50 left. Brussino scored a three-pointer to make it 88-87 with 2:25 left. Brussino made two free throws to make it 89-87 with 1:52 left. Jaworski scored a three-pointer to make it 92-89 with 1:24 left. Noua scored two points to make it 74-73 with 7:54 left in the fourth quarter. Perry made two free throws to tie the game at 92-91 with 7:04 left.
Zaragoza’s Strong Season Continues
The team has now won five of their seven games, with their only two losses coming against Euroleague opponents: Valencia Basket and FC Barcelona.
Casademont Zaragoza defeated Unicaja de Málaga in their Liga Endesa fixture.
El Unicaja es noveno, con tres triunfos en seis partidos.
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