Unicaja comes back against Girona without Jassel Pérez

The Unicaja of Málaga achieved a comeback victory against FIATC Girona at the Martín Carpena with a final score of 82-70. Moncho Fernández's team radically changed its performance after a disastrous first quarter, imposing its aggression both offensively and defensively to close out the game authoritatively. The absence of Jassel Pérez, the top scorer in the Liga Endesa, marked the course of a Girona that could not maintain its initial lead.

Girona dominates the first quarter without Jassel Pérez

The Girona team arrived in Málaga weakened by the absence of Jassel Pérez, who was injured after the previous match. Despite this circumstance, the visiting team started with surprising intensity. Sedrick Whittaker led Girona's attack with a brilliant performance in the early moments, finding spaces in an Unicaja defense that was struggling with its movements. The first quarter was a Girona monologue: 14-22 in favor of the Catalans, with an eleven-point lead that seemed comfortable.

Girona's initial superiority relied on offensive precision and Whittaker's ability to create plays. Unicaja, for its part, showed inaccuracies in its shots and a lack of rhythm in the interior game, allowing the visitors to build a lead that foreshadowed a tough match for the Malagueños.

Radical turnaround in the second quarter

The second quarter represented a complete turning point in the match. Unicaja emerged from the locker room with a defensive aggressiveness that smothered Girona's game and a clear offensive intent to continuously reach the free-throw line. Willy Hernangómez was the focal point of this transformation, settling in the low post and generating fouls that allowed him to consistently score points from eight meters. In just ten minutes, the Malagueños had completely flipped the scoreboard.

Kendale Perry was also crucial in the team's tactical reorganization, moving the ball precisely and creating spaces for his teammates to find scoring opportunities. Unicaja scored 27 points in this quarter while limiting Girona to just 16, a devastating partial that allowed the Malagueños to go into halftime ahead (41-38). It was the only lead change recorded in the entire match, indicating that Unicaja's dominance from that moment would be decisive.

Finish with no options for Girona

The third quarter unfolded in relative equilibrium, with a score of 18-18 that kept Girona three points behind (59-56). However, the momentum was already favoring Unicaja, which had demonstrated its capacity to react and its defensive strength. In the final quarter, the Malagueños tightened their defense, allowing only 14 points to the Girona team while building a fourteen-point lead that sealed the game.

Hunt emerged as a complementary offensive figure with 15 points, including three triples that reflected the breadth of Unicaja's attack. Ignas Brazdeikis added 11 points, while Perry completed his performance with 10 points and 9 assists, demonstrating his versatility in team play. Control of rebounding was another determining factor: Unicaja dominated this aspect (42-32) and executed a clear advantage in free throws (22-8), showcasing their physical solidity and conversion ability in critical moments.

Individual stats and final balance

Willy Hernangómez was named the game's most valuable player with a rating of 22, resulting from his 12 points and 8 rebounds in 26 minutes, with a spectacular 8 of 12 in free throws. His contribution was the foundation upon which Unicaja's comeback was built, both defensively and offensively.

For Girona, Whittaker finished with 15 points despite the defensive pressure in the second half. Kunc and Martínez each added 10 points, which were insufficient to maintain competitiveness. Isaac Vázquez, who just made his debut in the ACB, participated for 13 minutes in a match where his team could not sustain its initial intensity.

The final balance places Unicaja with a record of 4-4, identical to that of Girona. The Malagueños played this match as their first game after the departure of Matt Thomas, adding relevance to their adaptability and reorganization capacity. Meanwhile, Girona remains winless away from home (0-4), a statistic that reflects the visiting team's difficulties in their travels.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Unicaja remonta ante el Girona sin Jassel Pérez