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Unicaja Opens Basketball Champions League with Dominant Win in Utena (69-105)
oct 07 2026Unicaja needed a victory and found it in Lithuania. After losing their first two Liga Endesa games, the Málaga side opened their Basketball Champions League campaign with a 69-105 win at Juventus Utena. It was a one-sided affair from the opening quarter, with suffocating defense holding the Lithuanians to just eight points in the first ten minutes and Willy Hernangómez dominating the paint: 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a rating of 32.
Willy and Kalinoski Break the Game Open Early
Juventus Utena controlled the opening minutes thanks to Beniusis, who was effective near the basket, while Unicaja only scored from the free-throw line (4-3). But once Vidorreta's team strung together three or four well-constructed possessions, the game changed hands. Kalinoski, making his season debut, provided an assist on his first action, and from there Willy Hernangómez began punishing the rim repeatedly. A 1-14 run made it 5-17. Jones ended the local drought with a 2+1, but a three-pointer from Kalinoski closed the first quarter at 8-20.
In the second quarter, Juventus Utena tried to get closer with a 4-0 run, and Kalinoski responded with another three-pointer. The Lithuanians finally found some accuracy (18-28), but Unicaja continued to rely on Willy's solutions in the paint. A three-pointer from Hunt and baskets from Willy and Amine Noua pushed the lead to 16 (24-40), and at halftime the score was 29-44.
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A Third Quarter of 19-34
The game got completely out of hand after the break. A three-pointer from Noua and a dunk from Brazdeikis on the fast break extended the lead to 18 (33-51). Unicaja's defense suffocated Juventus Utena, and Pantzar and Noua pushed the advantage past twenty (33-55). There was no stopping them: 36-64, and then a free throw from Pantzar made it a 30-point difference (38-68). Pantzar himself reached 33 with a 2+1, and Hunter closed the third quarter with another basket and free throw (48-78). The quarter's run was 19-34.
Approaching Forty
Unicaja still had fuel in the tank. Kalinoski hit his third three-pointer, Willy kept adding points and Hunt made it 50-87. Reynolds tried to make the result look better for the hosts, but Lukosius and Brazdeikis pushed the lead to 39 points (62-101). The game ended 69-105.
The victory comes at just the right time for Unicaja. On Saturday (19:30) they host MoraBanc Andorra at Martín Carpena with the need to open their Liga Endesa account at home.
