BADALONA (Spain) - Sometimes, history repeats itself. Back in 2023, at the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, Unicaja and La Laguna Tenerife faced each other.
Following disappointing outcomes in the Semi-Finals, a bronze medal was on the line in the Spanish derby, with the black-and-yellow side bringing home the 3rd place at the end of the campaign.
Fast forward to Badalona in Season X, and we were close to witnessing the same scenario. However, Ibon Navarro's team got their revenge over Tenerife, winning 85-80 to get their 3rd medal in the BCL.
They are the second team to medal in three consecutive BCL seasons, after Tenerife between 2022 and 2024.
Turning point
Knowing each other very well, neither of the two teams really showed concrete superiority over the opponents.
The game saw 13 ties and 17 lead changes, the final one happening Olek Balcerowski and James Webb III took over with just over a minute left.
Balcerowski's big block on Fran Guerra prevented Tenerife from re-taking the lead, while Webb's three-pointer made it a two-possession game at 81-77.
Tenerife tried to come back into the game with a three-pointer by Jaime Fernandez, but it wasn't enough to get the job done and bring the bronze medal back to the Canary Islands.
Player of the Game
He wasn't there for Unicaja in Belgrade; he wasn't there for Unicaja in Athens. But he still made sure he could become an important asset for the back-to-back champions, despite not fighting for gold again.
Giving his best to try to slow down Patty Mills on the defensive end, Chase Audige also ended up being crucial offensively, finishing with a season-high performance of 15 points.
He also had 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Stats don't lie
As said, it was a very balanced encounter between two of the most established teams in BCL's history. The number of lead changes (17) and moments of the game when the two teams were tied (13) say it all.
Unicaja were way more impactful than Tenerife at the glass, outrebounding the opponents 37-28, including 12-5 on the offensive end. They produced 17 second-chance points off those boards.
Bottom line
Entering their dominant two-year cycle after an underwhelming 4th-place end at the BCL Final Four in 2023, Unicaja have now lost their crown, but still came home with medals around their necks.
While Chase Audige stood out as Player of the Game, three of his teammates mainly contributed to Unicaja's win: Killian Tillie (13 points and 6 rebounds), Tyler Kalinoski (12 points), and Olek Balcerowski (11 points).
It took a gigantic effort to stop Patty Mills from winning this one for Tenerife. The Australian legend tied the Third-Place Game record with five three-pointers made, scoring a game-high 23 points in 28 minutes of work.
Giorgi Shermadini (14) and Jaime Fernandez (13) combined for 27 points for coach Txus Vidorreta, who rested Marcelinho Huertas in this one.
They said
"This medal means a lot. We've had so many ups and downs, so many things that have gone on behind closed doors, but we really emphasized finding our identity and getting back to who we are as a team. I think we did that offensively and defensively, sticking together through the hard times. Even though it's not the gold that we wanted, it's still very important to get this win to finish the season strong." - Unicaja's Chase Audige.
"Disappointing loss, obviously. But it has been a hell of an experience to play FIBA basketball and BCL, my first Final Four. I'm grateful for the opportunity. I have a really great bunch of teammates who have made this experience very worthwhile. I'm grateful for their friendship, and I look forward to the end of the season." - Tenerife's Patty Mills.