Por Redaccion Unicaja Mijas produced from the counterattack, led by Marta Ortega and Brianna Herlihy due to the lack of accuracy in positional play. Two blocks by the Herlihy sisters secured the defense, and with a score of 6-10, Francis Tomé called a timeout. Estepona found success from beyond the arc to turn the score around and stretch the lead at the end of the last quarter (19-12).
Early in the second quarter, Carmen Ruiz sustained an injury in a defensive play, but the game didn’t stop until the green and purple team committed a foul under the basket, which was penalized as unsportsmanlike conduct when a player was down injured. Within less than four minutes into the second quarter, Unicaja Mijas had reached bonus points, and CAB Estepona extended the lead to 15 points (31-16). Unicaja Mijas tried to get back into the game, but the home team showed strength on both ends of the court and controlled the game at halftime (45-27).
Bridget Herlihy, penalized with an unsportsmanlike foul on a rebound, recovered with two consecutive blocks in the next play. Unicaja Mijas fought back with pride, reducing the deficit to 12 points after being more than 20 points behind and forcing Francis Tomé to call a timeout. After the break, on a defensive rebound by Unicaja Mijas, Carlos Manuel Betanzos gave a technical foul to Javi Pérez, who was calling for an unsportsmanlike conduct due to an off-the-ball foul. The third quarter was coming to an end, and Unicaja Mijas was back in the game after a great effort (64-54).
The final quarter started with a three-pointer to bring us within seven points, but Estepona extended the lead to 11 a couple of minutes later thanks to Vujacic (68-57). Four consecutive points by Alba Orois brought us within just one point after trailing by more than 20. Javi Pérez called a timeout with three and a half minutes to play after a layup by Lawrence (74-69). In the final minute, a three-point play by Brianna Herlihy allowed us to dream, but Unicaja Mijas fell short despite a valiant effort.
With no impact on the final standings, the Malaga team concludes a historic regular season in their second year in the LF Challenge, finishing in third place in the standings and setting their sights on the promotion playoffs starting next week. Cesarina Capellán was the standout player for Malaga with 21 points and 24 efficiency rating. Brianna Herlihy also impressed with 22 points, 11 fouls drawn, and a 23 efficiency rating.
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