Photo Gallery: CSKA vs Unicaja

CSKA - Unicaja (Malaga, Spain): 89-70

It is a pity but current game of the Euroleague was penultimate for CSKA in Moscow. Of course, in two weeks audience in Moscow will have a chance to watch the last match against Efes Pilsen which is going to be some kind of culmination of the season. Not only because of the standing in the group. The last game is a mark of the season. It is remembered longer than any other game. Let’s take as an example last season – in a game against Tau CSKA lost almost all the chances to qualify to the Final Four, two years earlier series against Cibona made CSKA to start looking for another coach as a replacement for Stanislav Eremin as his team looked helpless in the last game.

Both for players, and for spectators it was rather hard to take Unicaja serious after CSKA defeated the team in Malaga with 19 points difference. The fact that the Spanish squad already lost all the chances to qualify to the Final Four made it difficult even to expect a good game from the guests.

However, Bozidar Maljkovic and Co tried hard to prove all the prognosis wrong. CSKA was ahead in the beginning of the game but thanks to the fast breaks the team from Malaga evened the score and finished the first quarter with 4 points lead.

Everything Unicaja gained in the first quarter it squandered right away in the second. With teenage center Francisco Vazquez, the backup to Kornegay in the absence of injured Frederic Weis and Adam Wojcik, as the only big man in the lineup, Unicaja got overwhelmed by Alexander and Bashminov, who scored 9 points in a 10-2 run to open the quarter and put CSKA in control again at 31-27. Kornegay came back in and tried to stem the tide, but CSKA was rolling freely now. Bashminov stepped out and splashed through a three-pointer in the middle of a new 9-1 run that made it 40-31. For good measure, Bashminov also scored his teams last 3 shots of the half. Another Gurovic three-pointer allowed Unicaja to get within 46-36 by the break, but no one would have know the visitors had been a threat just 10 minutes earlier. Bashminov was up to 14 points to pace CSKA at that point, while Kornegay had 10 for Unicaja.

After resumption, Unicaja tried to play with more organization and long plays. With some help on offensive rebounds and good defense, the Spaniards managed to contain the Russians. Free throws by Louis Bullock for his first 2 points of the game pulled Unicaja within 48-40, but CSKA soon replied. Holden fired in from the arc and another quick fastbreak slammed by Sergey Monya put the hosts ahead again at 53-40. The mirage for Unicaja started to vanish as CSKA’s defense started making steals after another Bashminov’s jumper made it 57-45. CSKA’s power in the paint was decisive as Alexander’s point total climbed to 14, near that of Bashminov. Unicaja started to run out of ideas on offense, and CSKA took advantage to increase the lead to 64-49 after 28 minutes and roll to 69-53 lead after 30 minutes.

Things continued much the same way early in the last quarter, as CSKA’s tight defense impeded Unicaja players from reaching the basket. The resulting steals pushed the home team’s lead to 73-55 lead, and any notion of a Unicaja comeback was receding. The return of Kornegay gave Unicaja some more consistency inside, but the poor shooting percentages doomed the guests.With 5 minutes to go, Unicaja was still not giving up, but CSKA didn’t hesitate to commit fouls to stop all attacks by the guests, who went to the free throw line enough to slash the deficit to 75-61. The last minutes of the game were a mere formality in which CSKA decreased its rhythm, but was still good enough to keep out of danger at 80-64 with less than 3 minutes to go. In the last plays, Holden and Bashminov connected on some fancy fastbreaks to entertain the fans, who were already content in knowing that another Top 16 victory would stay in Moscow and that CSKA’s Final Four options were intact.