Unicaja Outlast 2025 BAL Champions Alahli in Intercontinental Cup Opener

Unicaja Malaga Outlast 2025 BAL Champions Alahli SC 73-61 in 2025 Intercontinental Cup Opener

The 2025 Basketball Africa League champions leaned on their "star" power but spent the night in chase mode. AfroBasket standouts Jean-Jacques Boissy, Ivan Almeida and Egypt national team coach Mohamed Elkerdany, alongside AmeriCup star, Dominican forward Ismael Romero, could only keep pace briefly.

The African side tied the score only three times before Malaga surged ahead with a 9-3 run to close the first quarter. Despite short bursts from Ivan Almeida and Naseim Badrush, the Libyan champions never reclaimed momentum against Spain's defensive consistency.

Unicaja's Emir Sulejmanovic and Aleksander Balcerowski extended the early lead, while Tyson Perez and James Webb III punished Alahli turnovers. The defending champs capitalized on 18 miscues, turning them into 13 points, and dominated the paint with 32 points inside.

Ismael Romero added scoring flashes for Alahli but committed costly turnovers, including two straight in the opening minutes. While Romero chipped in late buckets, Malaga's perimeter threats, like Tyler Kalinoski, knocked down timely shots to extend leads.

By halftime, Alahli trailed 34-28 after a scrappy second quarter, but their bench only produced four points. The lack of ball movement and inability to generate second-chance opportunities hurt them against a Malaga team that thrived on efficiency.

The third quarter saw Malaga deliver the decisive punch, outscoring Alahli 21-15. Almeida attempted to rally his side, but a 7-0 Malaga run created separation, giving the Spaniards a double-digit cushion they never relinquished.

Alahli tried to mount a fourth-quarter push, briefly trimming the deficit to seven points. However, defensive lapses allowed Malaga to immediately counter, maintaining their lead and silencing any realistic chance of a dramatic late comeback.

Unicaja closed strong with buckets from David Kravish and Perez, cementing the 12-point win. The defending champions displayed composure and depth that Alahli couldn't match across four quarters in Kigali.

Jean-Jacques Boissy, the reigning BAL MVP and AfroBasket 2025 bronze medalist, endured a difficult outing. The Senegalese guard posted nine points, seven rebounds and three steals but shot just 27% from the field and 16% from deep.

The Alahli fight was valiant at times but was at best (to put it politely) disjointed and lacked offensive structure. Ultimately, turnovers, defensive breakdowns and shooting inefficiency made the opening clash a frustrating 40 minutes for the Libyan club.

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[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]