Unicaja and Joventut Complete Perfect Spanish Run in BCL

The Basketball Champions League has completed its second matchday and Spanish basketball remains undefeated. Surne Bilbao and UCAM Murcia won last week, and this week Unicaja and Asisa Joventut did the same, leaving a record of eight wins in eight games. Unicaja, Joventut, and UCAM lead their groups, while Bilbao shares the top spot with ALBA Berlin, their next opponent.

Group E: Unicaja, alone at the top

Unicaja won convincingly in the Czech Republic (63-79). Pardubice resisted for half an hour with three-pointers, but the Málaga side dominated from the start and closed out the game with a solid third quarter. Amine Noua was the leading scorer with 20 points and broke the game open with his three-pointers in the second quarter. Kendrick Perry added 15 points and 7 assists, and Willy Hernangómez recorded a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. For the hosts, Zed Key finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The other group game left Unicaja as the sole undefeated team. Juventus Utena, whom the Málaga side had dominated in the first matchday, came back in Reggio Emilia (75-76). Reggiana was leading by nine at the end of the third quarter (70-61), but Utena opened the fourth with an 11-0 run and the Italians took more than five minutes to score again. A three-pointer by Barford gave Reggiana the lead back with 3:14 remaining, but Chase Hunter gave the Lithuanians the victory with 16 seconds left, and neither Barford nor Visconti made their final shots.

Group H: Joventut wins in a struggle

Asisa Joventut defeated Telekom Baskets Bonn 76-74 in a game they never fully controlled. The Germans, 2023 champions, led in the first half, with a maximum of eight points (23-31), taking advantage of the poor shooting from the green-and-blacks from the free-throw line and three-point range. After halftime, three-pointers from Nogués, Reyes, and Laprovittola turned the scoreboard around, and the connection between Ricky Rubio and Laprovittola opened a small gap in the final quarter. Bonn had the game-winning three-pointer in the last possession, but missed. Emir Sulejmanovic (17 points), Laprovittola (16), and Ricky (8 assists) were the standouts.

In the other group game, FC Porto achieved the first victory in their BCL history by winning on the road against Bnei Herzliya (74-86). James Woodard, with 17 points, and Corey Allen-Williams, with 15, led the Portuguese, while DJ Brewton scored 24 for the Israelis.

Also read:

• Joventut defeats Bonn and leads its group (76-74)
• Unicaja wins in Pardubice and remains undefeated in the BCL (63-79)
• Unicaja and Joventut close out BCL matchday 2

Group C: Antwerp humiliates the finalist

The most striking result of the week came from Athens. AEK, last edition's finalist, fell at home to Antwerp Giants by 27 points (76-103). The game was decided after halftime: the Belgians won the second half 26-55 with a barrage of three-pointers. Nijel Pack scored 20 points, Enoch Cheeks recorded 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Noel Coleman added 15. For AEK, Landers Nolley II, with 23 points, was the only one to respond. Antwerp is the only undefeated team in the group.

Szombathely, meanwhile, achieved their first victory by defeating Salon Vilpas (85-72), with an outstanding Zoltan Perl, who recorded 23 points and 9 rebounds. Leland Walker, with 21 points and 8 assists, could not prevent the second loss for the Finnish team.

Group B: four teams tied

Group B ended completely balanced, with all four teams at 1-1. Galatasaray made their debut with a victory over Strasbourg (83-77) in the debut of Manuchar Markoishvili as head coach in the competition. KJ Simpson (17 points and 8 rebounds) and Alen Smailagic (16) led the Turks, while Maxence Lemoine scored 21 for the French.

Legia Warszawa, who had lost by 38 in Strasbourg in the first matchday, bounced back with a convincing victory in Zagreb against Cibona (77-95). Arguster Daniels and Kristers Zoriks scored 21 points each, and Rickey McGill, with 18, was the leading scorer for the hosts.

Standings after matchday 2