MIES (Switzerland) - What's better than two high-level matchups decided in the final minutes in the Round of 16 of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL? Well, if they give us more than just drama.
The last two games in Group K, featuring a Spanish derby between two absolute title contenders and two already eliminated teams giving their all, weren't disappointing at all.
Unicaja 86-74 Asisa Joventut
Both Unicaja and Asisa Joventut entered their last game of action in the BCL Round of 16 in Season X already certain about their fate: the two Spanish powerhouses had already grabbed tickets for the Quarter-Finals.
But something was still on the line: the 1st place in Group K and the home court advantage in the following phase.
Following Joventut's previous 71-66 home win against Ibon Navarro's team, Unicaja needed to win by five or more points against their countrymen to finish on top. Their 86-74 victory felt like a strong enough statement.
The two teams went after each other for the vast majority of the game, tied at 65-65 with seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter. In the remaining minutes of the clash, however, Unicaja's spirit emerged.
Showing off the heart of the back-to-back champions, the hosts sparked a 12-0 run which gave them a comfortable 13-point lead (80-67) with 2:35 minutes left in the game.
Killian Tillie (15 points) and Emir Sulejmanovic were crucial in that sequence, getting clutch buckets to lead Unicaja to the final win. Overall, Tyler Kalinoski led the team in scoring with 17 points over 4-of-6 from deep.
"It was a great win, great environment in Carpena. They pushed us the whole game and it was amazing to play in front of them," Tillie said afterwards.
Despite a rough three-point night (1-of-5), Jabari Parker had a brilliant 21-point losing effort, putting up 16 of them in just 18 minutes of action. Ricky Rubio flirted with a double-double at 9 points and 11 assists.
Not being perfect and having to adjust throughout the season, the reigning champions still made it once again to the Quarter-Finals as the first-seeded team, tied at 4-2 on top of Group K with the green-and-black rivals.
On the other side, Joventut, which entered the BCL Round of 16 on an unbeaten run that lasted until their clash with Elan Chalon on February 10, suffered their second loss of the European season.
Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets 84-81 Elan Chalon
Since both Unicaja and Joventut had already advanced to the Quarter-Finals, only the glory was up for grabs between Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets and Elan Chalon.
As their two European campaigns were coming to an end in brilliant fashion, neither of the two wanted to exit the competition on a bad note, and they gave their all from tip-off to the final possession.
Ultimately, Wurzburg managed to get a final win in front of their own fans, but still couldn't finish their run in Group K as the third-placed team. Their 84-81 win wasn't enough to get the head-to-head advantage over Chalon.
Despite the qualification not being on the line, it was an eventful game played in Germany, with eight lead changes and the results being tied between the two on ten occasions.
Ultimately, Wurzburg took advantage of a solid night from beyond the arc, shooting 10-of-24 (41.7%) from deep. They survived Chalon's late comeback attempt down to the wire.
Brae Ivey led the Germans in scoring with 17 points, followed by four other players in double-digits: Marcus Carr (14), Johnathan Stove (12), and David Muenkat (10).
Joining the team during the season after getting to the BCL Final Four in 2024-25 with AEK BC, Grant Golden finished his campaign in the BCL with a 20-point losing effort over 8-of-10 from the field.
Despite missing two three-pointers to keep the French team in contention, Jeremiah Hill had another night as Chalon's absolute leader, finishing with 12 points and 7 assists.
Just like Unicaja and Joventut, Wurzburg and Chalon also concluded their run in the BCL Round of 16 with the same record, tied at 2-4, with the French team having the head-to-head on their favor.