The 14th was an accurate portrait of what Unicaja is. Choral work, faith, good basketball and a lot of dynamite to pull off a game of great difficulty.
Dylan Osetkowski (**)
It wasn’t his best day numerically, he committed an unsportsmanlike foul (very hard) which he recovered in the third quarter. But always influential. His last minute heist against Alberto was amazing. Seven points and three rebounds.
Melvin Ejim
He started the game by marking the physical level and scoring a goal. It didn’t have that much of an impact on the duel after that. He finished with six points.
Tyler Kalinoski (**)
By the numbers, the game might have seemed bad (three points and a -5 rating). His defense was necessary to ensure that the Canarian underdogs were significantly outnumbered.
Cameron Taylor (***)
He usually shines in the toughest matches. He did it in Vitoria or Madrid. He was a key player, he brought points when they were really needed, plus a great job defensively. 16 points and 16 rating. He managed to get a verdict, but it had no consequences.
Alberto Diaz (***)
It’s redundant, but its impact on games is brutal. He changed the atmosphere late in the first quarter and led the comeback. Then there are the high points in the various sections of the game. Seven points, four rebounds and four assists plus two steals. Decisive action in the last minutes.
Tyson Carter
Some brilliance from Mississippi State, which had less possession and defensive play than usual. He finished with one point in 15 minutes. Did the opposite.
Nihad Dzhedovic (**)
Tons of Bosnian craft. Commit a foul that doesn’t appear to be foul, touch a ball that is rebound. For that little push that the referee doesn’t see… And another nine points, five rebounds and a PIR of 14.
Augusto Lima
The last minutes of the first half. I carry the work for Hupp, who has done a lot of damage. Good help.
Will Thomas (**)
In the second half he scored several very important goals. Safety belt.
David Kravish
This is slightly lower than in Illinois. He’s been through a lot with Hupp and isn’t skimming the offense like he usually does.