UCAM Murcia defeated Unicaja (70-79) this Wednesday in the fifth and final match of the semi-final playoff to advance for the first time in the club’s history to the fight for the title, where they will face Real Madrid from on Saturday, thanks to another epic victory at the Martín Carpena.
Sito Alonso’s men accomplished the feat with the reasons they had to believe after going 0-2 in the first matches. Assaulting the home of the regular phase champion again seemed to end the situation, but Troy Caupain (19 points) and Dylan Ennis (19) made it a reality, despite the fact that Unicaja bit with everything at the beginning of the last quarter to culminate a comeback never seen before.
As it could not be otherwise, the fifth game was a roller coaster. Unicaja started the first half on top but, although they were ahead at half-time (32-31), UCAM was surely happier. Everything came into play for the locals at the start, especially Perry, but the visitors adjusted their zone and recovered ground from -13 to take the lead.
The UCAM zone worked better with the 2:3, reducing Malaga’s success and forcing the losses of Ibon Navarro’s team, who remained at seven points in the second quarter. In addition, the Murcians entered the triples in that quarter, especially with a Caupain author of eight points, they found Diagné inside and Ennis completed a brave presentation for a 32-31.
The players went to the locker room amidst sparks, Jonathan Barreiro with several stitches in his mouth due to an elbow, and the sensations remained ‘red’ at the restart. Despite confirming their dominance on the rebound, Unicaja had a hard time taking advantage of those opportunities, perhaps stubborn with the triple until finishing with a poor 12 of 37. Osetkowski managed it, but Caupain and Ennis always came to the visitors’ rescue (45- 46).
In addition, Sito Alonso’s rotation gave many more points and Navarro’s men clung to Carpena and their best weapon in the fight. After another three-pointer by Perry very far away in that quarter and at the buzzer, Unicaja went into the last one thanks to the success of three by Alberto Díaz and his intensity to steal in defense (65-58).
The Malaga pavilion reached its maximum decibels but the UCAM deservedly deserved the pass to the final by enduring the downpour. Sant-Ross and Ennis equalized the score, in a 2-10 partial that made Navarro’s team doubt a lot. A lot of tension and many missed shots, while Caupain sneaked into the area to finish.
Without winning a home game in the playoffs, UCAM is in the first final in its history in the Endesa League, in the best of five games, against a Real Madrid that will have the home court factor. A foreign condition that does not scare Alonso’s men given what has been seen, although the physique, in addition to the category of the European runners-up, can make a difference, with Madrid waiting for a long time after a 3-0 defeat to Barça in their semifinal.
