Unicaja staged a sensational comeback, fueled by a 23-4 third-quarter surge, to hand G League United a second straight FIBA Intercontinental Cup (ICC) final defeat. Despite running out convincing 71-61 winners on Sunday night (Sep 21), the Spanish side trailed by as much as 12 points in the second period, but put together a spirited turnaround to defend their title, the first club to do so in 47 years.
“We had such a bad first quarter. (But) we were able to stay together and that shows a lot from our team,” most valuable player Tyler Kalinoski said.
“They played a very different style of basketball. They were slipping screens, not setting hard ones, and going one-on-one a lot. When you don’t often face teams that play like the Spanish sides, it makes things a bit difficult. But I thought we picked up pretty quickly on what they were doing,” said the American guard who contributed with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Redemption for last year’s losing finalists looked likely early on, as United stormed to a commanding 10-0 lead in the first quarter and held their advantage over the Basketball Champions League winners through the opening two periods.
Unicaja only took the lead for the first time in the third quarter, courtesy of a Killian Tillie floater and James Webb III dunk to make it 37-36.
“I don’t know if it was nerves, but we were not following the game plan… It was the experience of the players (that shone through). There have been many finals and the veteran players knew that they have to calm down and do their job,” Unicaja head coach Ibon Navarro said.
“The game was decided at the end of the third quarter,” the Spaniard added, after his side racked up a 15-point lead going into the final period.
United’s Jaden Shackelford and Feron Hunt combined for 31 points, with Hunt also pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. But their efforts weren’t enough to overcome the damage done in the third quarter, even as they outscored Unicaja 20-15 in the final period.
United head coach Joseph Blair, who had overseen the team’s formation just three weeks prior with only a week’s training each in Sacramento and Tokyo, was graceful in defeat as he saluted Unicaja’s grit on the court.
“They played their butts off. We had a strong start, and they never gave up. They showed their resolve and their just character very well,” he said.
“Win or lose, I don’t care what happens out there. What I care about is what happens in here,” Blair said, pointing to his chest. “I just wanted them to enjoy this experience… I am so grateful that I was chosen to be a part of this.”
Team captain Chasson Randle added of his side’s experience at the ICC, “We had great moments. One thing I’ll remember about this group is the fun of playing with all these guys. The talent speaks for itself. We had a very talented group, guys who could do anything on the basketball court. You’ll see a lot of them go on to do amazing things in their careers.”
Libyan side Al Ahli SC beat Brazilian club Flamengo 95-85 in the third place game while Australia’s Illawarra Hawks downed Japan’s Utsunomiya Brex in the fifth and sixth-placed classification match.
