Por Ismael Buendia Unicaja will relive its umpteenth Groundhog Day in the Copa del Rey against La Laguna Tenerife. The aurinegro team will be the rival of the Malagueños after defeating Barça in the quarterfinals by 91 to 86. Both teams will be seeking a spot in the tournament final this Saturday, February 15, starting at 18:30 at the Gran Canaria Arena (broadcasted by Movistar Plus+ -dial 7- and ⇒Unicaja Baloncesto Radio).
The islanders come into the match as one of the best teams in the Liga Endesa, winning 9 of their last 10 games, only losing to Real Madrid (96-86). In the standings, they are in third place with 15 wins and 5 losses, tied with Unicaja (2nd) and one win behind the leader, Real Madrid. Only Unicaja, Barça, Valencia Basket, Joventut, and Real Madrid have been able to defeat La Laguna Tenerife this season in the league.
In the BCL, their momentum is even better as they are the only undefeated team in the competition alongside Unicaja, with a record of 8-0 this season. They finished on top of Group C in the regular phase against Karsikaya from Turkey, Saint-Quentin Basket-ball from France, and Kolossos H Hotels from Greece (6-0). In the Round of 16, they are 2-0 after defeating BAXI Manresa and Pallacanestro Reggiana from Italy, in a group that is closed by Aliaga Petkimspor from Turkey.
Memory Game
The island team, led by Txus Vidorreta, once again presents a roster full of talent and experience whose core has been together for several seasons, playing almost instinctively. Once again, Marcelinho Huertas is the team’s metronome, as he demonstrated against Barça with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists for a 30 efficiency rating at 41 years old. His partnership with Bruno Fitipaldo in the backcourt (15 points, 7 assists, and 3 crucial three-pointers against Barça) is deadly, complemented by the recently recovered Jaime Fernández, a former Unicaja player returning after a serious knee injury.
The explosive shooting guard David Kramer (7 points) is one of the few new additions to the aurinegro squad alongside Thomas Scrubb (9 points, 4 rebounds). However, the continuity in the frontcourt, where Fran Guerra shines (14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists in the quarterfinals) along with former Unicaja players Gio Shermadini (5 points) and Tim Abromaitis (5 points), make the island team very dangerous.
Statistically, in the Liga Endesa, they have the best field goal percentage in two-pointers (59.66%); 2nd in three-pointers (10.70) with the best shooting percentage in the league (40.45%); 4th in efficiency (102), assists (19.50), and free throws made (16.80) with the 2nd best percentage (80.96%). Impressive numbers.
Old Acquaintances
This is not just another matchup, as it is the umpteenth encounter between both teams in recent years in various competitions. Just in the Copa del Rey final phase, they have faced each other three times since 2019, with the first meeting in the quarterfinals resulting in a victory for Tenerife (88-78). Later, two consecutive duels, the first in Badalona 2023, a memorable moment for Unicaja as they won their second Copa del Rey in club history (80-83). A year later, in 2024, the then Lenovo Tenerife got their revenge in the quarterfinals in Malaga by beating Unicaja 83-91.
It’s worth noting that in the 1988-89 season, when the cup format was different, the teams crossed paths in a preliminary round. In the first leg, the then Caja de Ronda defeated Cajacanarias 81-80, and in the return leg in the Canary Islands, the Malaga team also emerged victorious, with a score of 66-75. In total, three wins for Unicaja and two for La Laguna Tenerife. Now, they will face each other for the third consecutive time in the tournament.
Additionally, they have clashed in other matchups, such as the BCL final (Unicaja’s 75-80 victory), the Liga Endesa 2023 quarterfinals (0-2 for Unicaja), the fight for bronze in the BCL 2023 in Malaga (Tenerife’s 79-84 win), and the Liga Endesa 2017 quarterfinals (2-1 for Unicaja). Going further back, they met in a Permanence Playoff in 1985 between Caja de Ronda and Lucky Canarias, ending in favor of the Malaga team (0-2).
The last game between both teams took place at the end of November, with Unicaja winning 84-81, with Dylan Osetkowski as the standout player (20 points, 2 rebounds, 16 efficiency rating).
⇒ALL PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS
Unicaja will face La Laguna Tenerife in the Copa del Rey semifinals this Saturday, February 15, starting at 18:30 at the Gran Canaria Arena (broadcasted by Movistar Plus+ -dial 7- and Unicaja Baloncesto Radio).